Technology has undeniably changed the way businesses run their operations. If you were to tell someone 22 years ago that they attend meetings, collaborate on projects, speak with clients, and just generally work from home they might have laughed at you. Fast-forward to today and the advancements we've made in technology have allowed working from home to become the norm for many people. This is only one of the many advantages new technology is making possible.
Throughout this blog we're going to take a look at how technology has adapted to help businesses whilst shining a light on some of the old technologies that helped us get to this point:
Data Storage & Sharing Has Become Easy
At the beginning of the year 2000, the world had a total of 54.5 EB or 54500000 GB of data in it, this is now a staggering 33000 EB or 33000000000000 GB
Whilst it may not have been as mainstream as today, many businesses were still using computers and therefore still outputting data and this data must be stored somewhere. 20 years ago, you only had two main options, floppy disks, or a hard drive, both were not very flexible or reliable. Hard drives were locked into computers making them difficult to access and transport to new pcs, and floppy disks were slow, easily damaged, had low storage, and were just generally inconsistent.
These days we have a whole range of choices in how we store our data. We now have high storage and easily portable hard drives, advanced flash drives, and the newest and most secure storage system, cloud storage.
One of the most popular and well-designed cloud storage systems used by countless businesses is Microsoft OneDrive. OneDrive allowed you to easily store data in the cloud which can then be accessed from anywhere at any time with an internet connection. OneDrive works hand in hand with Sharepoint which then integrates into the rest of the Microsoft 365 roster (which is typically used by most businesses) making it the natural choice for businesses looking to easily send data to partners and colleagues. Not only does OneDrive allow for easy access and sharing, but it also offers real-time collaboration, enabling you to work on a single Microsoft 365 document with multiple colleagues at any time, from anywhere.
Increased Collaboration and The Rise of Remote Work
A McKinsey Global Institutes Report found that over 60% of work time is spent collaborating, gathering information, or responding to emails.
With this in mind, there is no shortage of collaboration tools that companies have leached on to like Google Drive/Docs, Slack, Microsoft SharePoint, OneDrive, Microsoft Teams and many more. These simplify how we can work together for team discussions, file sharing, project collaboration, tasks, and storage. Alignment of people and goals is the primary responsibility of these tools, and they are here to help provide real-time insight into projects and help us become more efficient.
These advancements in technology have made remote work a more viable option for businesses and employees than ever. Looking back 20 years, if you were to tell someone they would be able to work from home the idea would be wildly outlandish.
Access to applications such as teams allowed us to host everything from 1-to-1s, meetings and chats, no longer did you need to be in the office to ask a question or work on a collaborative project. These days many businesses will have teams meetings even when everyone is in the office, it has become that much of a standard and for good reason. Offering everything from, real-time collaboration and video calling, to large meetings and easy file sharing Microsoft Teams could be the communication application you're business needs, learn more about Microsoft Teams HERE
Technology Has Become More Affordable
Two things have come together to create a "buyer's market" when it comes to software solutions for your business. First, the hardware and software necessary to develop these software solutions have become increasingly easy to use and afford. Secondly, the number of tech-savvy and entrepreneurial minds who can exploit such crumbling barriers has multiplied exponentially.
A back-end inventory system that once took a multi-million-dollar company a year to create in the not-too-distant past takes a couple of weeks for a few recent college graduates to put together. These solutions are offered at affordable rates and are often simple enough to use that businesses don't need to hire dedicated employees or sign long-term service contracts to make use of them.
Cloud VoIP is Becoming the Standard
Phones were the original revolution that normalised voice communication during everyday work-life and was groundbreaking at the time. Whilst they were tedious to use, poor quality and bulky, they solved an issue. Fast forward 20 years and we have access to state-of-the-art technology such as cloud VoIP and Mobile phones. These on the other hand are, easy to use, compatible, good quality and flexible. Despite VoIP’s original release being in 1994 many businesses are still using outdated, slow and poor-quality audio services.
We often say VoIP is going to be the next standard in voice communication and we do so with good reason. As highlighted in one of our recent blogs BT will be turning off their PSTN and ISDN network requiring all customers to migrate to a single IP network such as VoIP. So whether business owners want it or not, anyone using PSTN or ISDN lines will have their services made redundant. Leaving it too late before switching to an alternative solution could leave you left behind as companies scramble to put together an alternative solution at the same time as one another, making it more expensive, less available and generally more difficult.
Learn more about VoIP and how we've worked with countless businesses to give them the communication infrastructure they need HERE
Bring Your Business's IT Up-To-Date
Constant innovations are helping to bring businesses into the future, we now have access to everything from cloud storage (OneDrive), and streamlined communication services (VoIP), to increased online collaboration (Microsoft 365) and cheaper hardware.
With over 16 years of experience, the entrust IT Group have seen how the constant flow of innovative technology has influenced the work environment today. Our consultancy and services have helped businesses navigate these changes, ensuring they have the tools and services necessary to thrive in today’s competitive marketplace, while also helping them find ways to overcome the bad impacts discussed in this blog.
The reality is, whether you like it or loathe it, technology is the lifeblood of modern business. That’s why forward-thinking companies like yours need to prioritise finding ways to encourage healthy habits and discourage the bad to help eliminate the negative changes the rise of technology in the workplace has bought. Technology advancements are only continuing to accelerate, so investing in improving these areas now, will ensure your business is prepared for the future workplace. If you haven't taken the time to bring your business's technology up-to-date now is the time. Almost all businesses have already or are looking to improve their IT and you don't want to be left behind.
Feel it's time to bring your business's technology in the future or just want to learn more about the services we can offer you? Please feel free to get in contact on 0330 002 0045 or email enquiries@entrustit.co.uk to be put in contact with one of our experienced members of our team.
