Even if you’re not at the forefront of developing technology like enterprise-leveled companies, technology still plays a massive role in the growth of your business. Regardless of your niche, investing in tech can help make operations smoother, and consistently meet customer expectations for steady profit. That’s why you must stay up-to-date with the latest tech trends in the industry.
That said, here are the latest technologies driving businesses in 2021:
Focus on Cybersecurity
Even if you run a small business, you still need to be wary of cyberattacks. Millions of security breaches happen every year, and it’s time for small businesses to fight back. Just like how business owners invest in video security systems to protect their brick-and-mortar stores, you need to consider amping up your cybersecurity.
As more security breaches occur every year, experts predict that cybersecurity will be a tech trend that’ll continue to grow beyond 2021. That’s why small to midsize businesses need to begin viewing security through the lens of massive enterprises and take online security measures to heart.
Business owners can start by locking down a comprehensive backup and disaster recovery solution to ensure their business’s information and profit are protected. It’s also wise for business owners to form new standardized blocking and tackling strategies to keep their online presence safer.
Headless Commerce
A unique tech trend that’s been recently helping out brands stand out is headless commerce. In this approach, the front end of eCommerce shops and its back end get “decoupled,” meaning they’ll now stand independently of one another.
Decoupling front- and back-office processes enable businesses to achieve better customization and eCommerce solutions that instantly offer a more detailed view of each customer. Gaining better insight about consumers is incredibly helpful in determining how you can best present your products or services, all while providing a consistent cross-channel shopping experience.
Plus, headless content management software can help business owners propel content everywhere, way beyond their brand’s official website. That means you need to deliver products through social media platforms such as Facebook or Instagram, blog posts, and other channels capable of fulfilling and processing transactions directly to drive better customer engagement and convenience.
Extended Reality
Extended Reality or XR is an umbrella term including technologies like Mixed Reality (MR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Augmented Reality (AR). It blends physical and virtual experience, offering more information about businesses in a more captivating way and streamlining operations. For instance, XR can help in field service, assisting maintenance workers in repairs and inspections.
It can also help your customers. For instance, for utility consumers, XR can offer faster and personalized services with heightened efficiency and convenience they’ve become accustomed to in recent years. Customers can now get real-time updates about their restoration projects, service calls, and account balances.
Comprehensive HR Tech
An area that’s increased in importance in the last year due to the pandemic was the need for comprehensive human resource (HR) software and tech that helps business owners stay on top of their employees’ needs.
Centralized HR information systems have become crucial in today’s business, and now, many consider it more than just a mere “system of records.” HR executives are beginning to see its usefulness in creating a better engagement system, ensuring smooth operations and satisfied employees.
Most of the focus on HR tech comes from the sudden shift to remote work, but this technology will likely continue to assist businesses even when things go back to “normal.” Experts suggest that this tech trend will continue to dominate companies of all sizes in 2021.
Software Unification
In the modern office environment, more tech solutions are becoming the leading choice for communication. For instance, companies may use Slack to connect teams from different departments, Outlook for sending documents, Salesforce in managing customers, and Google Drive in storing company information.
Unifying these different platforms in one area can do wonders for any business, but connecting software to work alongside other software is challenging. However, with the improvements business tech is showing, experts suggest that there will be a breakthrough with integration platforms in the new decade.
This “breakthrough” will allow businesses to connect any software with another. In 2021, experts predict that the connection will link multiple platforms, enabling seamless communication within the workforce.
As consumer demands continue to grow and customers becoming reliant on technology, things that may have sounded like a technology “buzzword” yesterday might be the key to growth tomorrow. The latest technologies for businesses in 2021 show great promise for a bigger and more technologically inclined future.
