Tech trends SMBs can look forward to in 2016 - Quartet Service

Tech trends SMBs can look forward to in 2016

Tech trends SMBs can look forward to in 2016

1. Reducing on-premise infrastructure and more hybrid cloud solutions.

 

With constant innovation and improvements made to the cloud since its inception, it now offers more options and possibilities for SMBs looking to host their servers in the cloud, both entirely and partially.

 

Transitioning to the cloud can offer SMBs the scalability to easily grow their infrastructure and keep up with rapid growth while costing them a fraction of the price it takes to host their servers’ on-premise. This gives SMBs a viable option to hosting the majority of their servers’ on-premise that can be scaled to their future growth, and with different hosting options can give them more selection based on their needs such as offering accessibility to remote workers, backups, and security against hackers.

 

But there are extraneous circumstances for why some of your data should remain on-premise, such as keeping files private, confidentiality agreements, or working on a specific projects, which are valid concerns.

 

But with continually innovation in the scope and magnitude of hybrid cloud solutions, you can still take advantage of cloud options and have on-premise servers for all your needs. Allowing SMBs to leverage both the positives of the cloud and on premise servers. Additionally with more tools and software making use of the cloud, it’s slowly becoming a must use option for SMBs, especially with Office 365, Azure and Dropbox, it’s making it easier than ever before to make use and integrate the cloud into your business.

 

For more information regarding on how to decide or make the change to the cloud visit on hosted servers page or contact one of our experts here.

 

2. Taking advantage of power business intelligence and analytics.

 

New technology has changed the way businesses collect data and make use of it.

 

Before BI and analytics it was hard for businesses to use data to drive traffic, where the amount of their leads were coming from, and whether any of their campaigns were indeed working. But now due to improvements and innovations in BI and analytics SMBs have more access to software that makes using data to figure out patterns a lot easier.

 

Using BI and analytics you can create visual representations from data sources and find and identify patterns you can use to drive your business, understand which campaigns are profitable and how to better identify and track leads. This works in conjecture with data sources such as Excel, Google Analytics, Active Directory, and Github.

 

Making use and taking advantage of BI and analytics is a cost effective tools every SMB needs to use, as it allows businesses to better identify and get to know the intricacies of their own business, allowing them to make improvements and add changes.

 

3. Increased collaboration and improved internal communication.

 

Communication and collaboration is fundamental in any business, and technology has made it easier. Not only to build better internal communication networks, but also foster and improve existing collaboration techniques in the workplace.

 

With introduction of workflows methods such as DevOps and agile operations, SMBs can now optimize and include better collaboration practices in their business, getting rid of silos of information and helping not only foster collaboration from the ground-up but during product development.

 

Additionally with new technological tools such as Yammer, Slack, Asana, Office 365 and Skype for business, SMBs have access to communication tools that not only give them access to communicate virtually and remotely to all workers, but also to share files, have video conferences without being in the same room, and work in the cloud from anywhere. Doing so, SMB can increase company-wide collaboration, save time, and infrastructure costs.

 

This is compounded when considering the effects of social media. All employees have social media accounts, whether it’s Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, this means that utilizing, offering content and engaging everyone is now more important than ever before for companies, as it increases engagement and allows for a more personal conversation between customers and SMBs to occur.

 

If you’re considering upgrading your communication tools or need an upgrade, do one of our technical audits. We identify any weaknesses in your IT infrastructure and offer improvements to make your business run better and more smoothly.

 

4. Allowing better integration in your company.

 

With new integrative tools, not only can your SMB save time and energy, but also money.

 

Long gone are the days where you needed three different applications to send emails, track analytics or track leads. With better and more integrated tools, you can do a lot more with less today. With CRMs, Microsoft tools and integrated solutions you can have access to all your business needs with only a few select tools that house the majority of your needs. This is perfect for SMBs looking to consolidate and take advantage of more integrated solutions, while syncing across their entire IT system and reducing silos of information, as all department will know what’s happening in adjacent departments, increasing collaboration.

 

Having a more integrated system also allows you to troubleshoot and identify any issues in the system a lot faster and sooner, as you’ll know what exactly is not working and promptly able to address the issue, then combing through 20 application and looking for the one that is broken.

 

Allowing more integration allows for more cross-discipline in your business, you can encourage and foster more teamwork between marketing, sales and developers, giving your business an immediate grasp and framework from all your employees on every project to ensure it’s well rounded and fully accessible.

No Comments

Post a Comment

Comment
Name
Email
Website