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There is no doubt that technology is advancing quickly and providing us with incredible capabilities that allow us to increase productivity and scalability, and reduce costs. There is a greater emphasis on businesses to deploy technologies so they can keep up with the competition, but the digital transformation needs to be handled sensitively for it to be successful. With the help of a reliable IT company like EC-MSP, organizations will be better able to face the disruptions that new deployments may involve. Here are some of the technologies that have impacted the business world in recent years.
Cloud computing
The cloud is much more than just a convenient means of data storage. There are now various cloud services that include Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), and Database-as-a-Service (DBaaS). When migrating to the cloud, organizations need to decide whether they will use public or private cloud infrastructure or a hybrid cloud which is a combination of the two. It is necessary to formulate a comprehensive cloud strategy that takes into account the providers you will use, the expenses, scalability and the level of security offered.
Artificial intelligence
AI has gradually infiltrated our computing systems so that we barely even realize that we are using it. This powerful technology is used for tasks completed by email spam filters and ride-sharing apps like Uber. It has a lot of potential in business in automating simple tasks and helping to create a personalized experience for individual customers. It can analyze data and improve decision making by enabling more informed decisions to be made. In addition to this, machine learning technology means it is possible to create feedback loops so computer systems can make improvements automatically.
Big data analytics
Big data contains the answers to many of the most important world issues, but gaining access to the key data in such a vast quantity is a herculean task. This is where big data analytics comes in, with the capacity to extract value from data and gain the most relevant or useful insights from it. It has various applications in the real world, such as for providing marketing insights, in supply chain management and risk management, or as a driver in product management.
Marketing tools
For new businesses especially, digital marketing services are a quick and easy way to connect with a wider audience. These include tools for email marketing, such as MailChimp, social media marketing tools, like Hootsuite, or various analytics tools, like Google Analytics.
There are useful tools for creating a brand logo that will be representative of your business and noticeable. If you want to easily turn a PDF into a presentable digital flipbook for emails that stand out, innovative new digital software provides this service.
Robotic process automation
Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is the automation of tasks and is based on AI or digital workers. It is aimed at removing tasks that are simple and repetitive, and require minimal human attention. The great promise of RPA is that it can hugely improve productivity, efficiency, meeting compliance and reducing costs. Deployment of RPA is increasing across a range of industries, and the technology is particularly common in financial services, e-commerce, mortgages and lending, OCR application and data extraction.
Customer Relationship Management
A technology that has become more of a central focus to businesses in recent years, customer relationship management (CRM) is the application of big data analytics to customer services. CRM offers businesses a way of keeping track of customer details and interactions so a personalized customer experience can be offered. This is usually managed through a CRM tool that brings together relevant customer information and manages customer interactions automatically. These have the optional use of machine learning-powered chatbots that provide services at greater convenience and gain valuable customer insights at the same time.
Voice search
Voice search has been around for quite a while, but it is only recently that it is beginning to be taken seriously. With the rise of assistants like Alexa and Google Home, people are becoming more familiar with the Voice User Interface (VUI) and more likely to use voice for general internet searches, as well as online shopping. This will make digital marketing a completely different game, with the rules for SEO changing as only the first few results are likely to be heard. Marketers need to be wary of the differences and ready to update their strategies accordingly.
The Internet of Things
We just need to look around ourselves to notice how IoT has been influencing the world. With a whole range of smart devices and other internet-enabled gadgets, businesses are catering for consumers that are connected at all times and through various means. There are many business opportunities in providing hardware, software and accessories for these new capabilities, while the performance of business operations can also be improved with smart technologies. This could be RFID tags on shipments to help inventory management and prevent theft, or smart locks that will improve security and reduce the need for security staff.
Technology is now a central component in all fields and businesses must be informed of all technological changes to stay ahead. Business is evolving together with technology and it is no longer possible to see the two as separate entities. In this century, the business that integrates their IT strategies and their business strategies is the business that will succeed.
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This content is brought to you by Zachary Gottlieb.
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