How Technology Can Simplify and Optimize Your Business

Carol Evenson

Owning and operating your own company can be stressful, and that’s only more true of small businesses headed by first time business owners. Every company has many factors at play that make or break a smaller business. However, there are plenty of tools and techniques that can help you even the odds. Here’s what you need to know to make your small business a lasting success using the latest and greatest tech.

Organizational Tools

Data is more than just a business buzzword. Information is a major priority for businesses for a variety of reasons, and the vast abundance of data a given company needs to keep track of can be staggering. From market data that fuels newer and better strategies to financial records, one of the biggest problems facing today’s businesses is the storage and organization of all of that information. However, there are a variety of organization apps that can simplify the process of keeping records, such as paperless document management software. This can lead to not only an easier recordkeeping process, but also more accurate records that are also more readily available and better organized. This ultimately results in fewer errors, and that can only improve your business’s workflow and its bottom line. This is also important when it comes to business finance, because federal regulations require businesses to not only file their taxes like a person would, but also to publicly disclose their quarterly earnings. Mistakes made on these crucial forms can result in fines and audits from the IRS, typically due to the suspicion of fraud or embezzlement.

The Internet of Things

Another way to simplify the inner workings of your company is the implementation of IoT technology. The innovations behind the smart office trend are great at reducing the number of steps it takes to solve a given problem. For example, organizational apps can be used to automate various clerical processes like payroll by enabling communication between multiple autonomous apps and systems using artificial intelligence. On the other hand, secure release printers use IoT tech to hold a queued printing task until the authorized user arrives to pick it up, and this helps to keep the printing queue organized, making sure that all of the correct documents end up in the right place and with the right employees. It’s also worth mentioning the more mundane, but not less helpful aspects of a smart office. For example, it’s not uncommon to use smart light bulbs to rig up all of the lights of the building to remote voice control, making it just a little easier to shut everything down at the end of the workday.

Cloud Computing

Cloud storage is quickly becoming integrated in a variety of consumer services, because it allows users to secure their files, and make them more accessible, by storing them remotely. This is also incredibly valuable to businesses in need of additional storage, as well as generally more secure file storage. However, businesses can take full advantage of what cloud technology has to offer, namely cloud computing. In addition to cloud storage, cloud computers offer users a new, superior model of networking. Unlike a traditional network, connecting to the public or private cloud doesn’t require physical connection, which makes modern networking more accessible to an increasingly remote workforce, as well as employees away on business trips. However, the biggest advantage that cloud computing has to offer is that it allows connected users to share not only files, but also computational resources and, therefore, processing power. This has been integral in the big data economy, because it allows the otherwise demanding task of data analysis to be tackled effortlessly while the normal work day proceeds as normal and without placing too much strain on any one computer involved.

The technology on offer today offers many benefits to business owners. However, where it can simplify your business model, it can also be daunting in its complexity. These basic tips can help you implement smart tech choices for your company.