The technology of business: how technology is changing how we operate a business

Featured article by Cheryl Swinton, Independent Technology Author

Technology is changing the way businesses function. New technologies are helping a hoard of businesses streamline their efficiency and run much smoother. A vast amount of tools have appeared on the market in the last few years that are helping customers in all areas, from human resources to marketing and sales. Not only have these sped up the process in ways that would have been unimaginable 30 years ago, but they have also given even smaller businesses the potential to think globally. The darker side is that we are now tied to our computers, reliant on digital technology to function on all levels.

Targeted marketing via email and social media

Marketing has shifted focus from print copy, flyers, and even television advertising to digital solutions. The use of analytical tools and cookies, which store and remember information about individual users, means that marketing companies can now provide stunningly accurate and up-to-the-minute profiles of consumers so that advertising can be targeted precisely to their interests and behavior patterns. Matomy Media Group, an industry leader in email acquisition marketing, works with companies in providing them with targeted customers and handing them the resources needed to retain them, without having to spend time on complicated on-the-ground campaigns. You can see more on Matomy on YouTube.

Business deals are just a click away

Once upon a time, people sent letters and waited days to receive a response. If you wanted something quicker, you could arrange for a courier to pick up documents, but even that seems awfully slow in comparison to the speed of emails and uploading directly to cloud servers. Video conferencing means virtual meetings are a reality, saving companies thousands of dollars on travel and hotel expenses.

While most companies see these tools as a positive development, there are businesses out there that are resisting the change to modern technology and preferring to stick with what they know. There is no longer a distinction between people’s work and leisure time, the cynics argue, as everyone becomes a multi-tasker and devices appear to be attached to our limbs.

Reliance on online connectivity

One of the biggest problems faced by the new technology is our total dependence upon it. A few minutes’ loss in internet connectivity can rapidly spread panic throughout a workplace. Communicating digitally on a global level has meant that companies are not heavily reliant on a reliable, fast, and secure online connection that provides access to everyone who needs it, and is able to block all those unauthorized to enter.

New technology can help companies root out corruption, which is a positive move, but there is also resistance. Company employees, from the lowly clerk right up to the senior executives, can be monitored everywhere they go; and from the manager caught on camera taking company money, to the cashier caught slacking off via Facebook photos, everything is now publicly shared knowledge.

Whether or not you believe that technology has “gone too far” in its influence, there is no doubt that computers, the internet, and the digital era are here to stay, and those who continue to resist are becoming increasingly isolated in a world that is often more connected virtually than physically.