2015 has been a fast year so far, and if you hadn’t noticed the calendar, we just passed by the halfway point. For many small businesses, now is the time for assessment, reflection, celebration, and adjustments. Are you on track? What have you been doing well? What can you do better? Where is your industry headed and where do you fit in?
If your organization is technology-focused, there is still much to do before the calendar switches to 2016. In today’s blog post, we’ll take a look at some considerations that will help take your business to the next level.
1. Adapt to Cloud
Recent surveys show that cloud adoption is growing faster than usual. Numbers show that 62% of organizations will run 100% of their IT in the cloud by 2020. Small businesses are also adopting cloud at a faster rate than the enterprise. No matter the size of your business, transitioning to the cloud is a good call. Among the benefits of cloud are a remote workforce, lower costs, off-premise managed services, and better security.
2. Integrate Your Communications
There are so many different email and chat platforms for businesses that it’s enough to bring a leader to their knees. If your organization is suffering from communications overload, look to technology integration. For example, Microsoft’s Outlook email application and Skype for Business (formerly Lync) are perfect, since Outlook users can see who is online. Adding in file-sharing and community tools like SharePoint and Yammer are extra ways to create better communication too. The end result will see employees doing more work, and doing less searching for relevant messages.
3. Get Visual
Visual communication has exploded in the past few years. Companies nowadays leverage infographics, video, and images to get their message across. In the software world, Microsoft recently released Sway, a collaborative cloud-based visual presentation app. Words may be specific for each culture, but images are universal in communication.
4. Get Mobile
According to Pew Research, two-thirds of Americans now own a smartphone. What’s more,mobile devices now outsell desktop computers for the first time in history. Technology-savvy organizations must adopt a mobile strategy for both internal and external needs. This can include designing a mobile app or creating a mobile-friendly website.
5. Experiment with a New Piece of Technology
Finally, technology is always improving. For the technology-savvy organization, part of the fun is discovering new technologies to adopt. This can be anything from a mobile device management (MDM) strategy to a project management software. The ability to experiment means new skills and adaptability, which keeps the business relevant in the market.
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