You want your business to soar in 2014. To do this, you will need to make smart investments in technology. It's not easy for small businesses to succeed in today's competitive environment. Tech, though, can give you an advantage over other businesses. The right technology can make your employees more productive and efficient. SmallBusinessComputing.com recently took a look at 2014 and what the site thinks are going to be the most important small business tech trends for this year. If you're thinking about new technology investments in 2014 for your business, the website's predictions just might help you make the right decisions for your business.
Betting on the cloud
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 instead of on your machine's hard drives. You can also make your company more secure, making it much less likely that a hacker will obtain access to your company's important data.
Using big data
You might think that big data is only for big companies. You would be wrong, though. SmallBusinessComputing predicts that 2014 might be the year in which small business owners finally reap the benefits of big data analytics to better understand their customers and their needs. This is something your small business should consider, too. If you know more about your customers, you can deliver them better service, something that will, ultimately, boost your business' bottom line.
No more desktops?
The desktop PC is becoming a less favorite tool. You can point to tablets, smart phones and powerful laptops as the reason. As SmallBusinessComputing says, this could directly impact your small business. Why spend the money on pricey desktops when many of your employees can get their work done with smaller, more inexpensive devices?