How to give your small business an edge in today’s competitive world? Make the right investments in technology. The appropriate technology can make your team more productive. It can help you better reach and understand your customers. And it can safeguard your business from hackers and thieves. SmallBusinessComputing.com recently featured a story exploring the most important tech trends for small business owners in 2014. You would be wise to study these trends. They could help your business be more profitable in 2014 and beyond.
Cloud computing
According to SmallBusinessComputing, the cloud will become even more important to small businesses this year. This is something that your business should explore. You could save serious money by storing your company's software and programs in the cloud rather than on your machine's hard drives. You can also make your company more secure, so that it is less likely that a hacker will gain access to your company's important data.
The power of big data
As SmallBusinessComputing.com writes, large companies have long relied on big data to better understand their consumers. Small businesses, though, can begin to use big data analysis, as well, according to SmallBusinessComputing.com. As the website states, a growing number of small business owners in 2014 will start analyzing large data sets to deliver better service to their customers. If you'd like your business to thrive this year, you have to do a better job of analyzing your customers' spending habits.
No more desktops?
Small business owners need to save as much money as possible. One way? It's time to eliminate the desktop computer. Most employees these days can do their work on smaller mobile devices or laptops. There's no reason for small businesses to place a desktop computer on the desk of each and every employee. SmallBusinessComputing.com predicts that more businesses will adopt this approach in 2014.