2016 Top 10 Tech Trends Disrupting Small and Medium Businesses

small business disruptive tech trends

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5.  3-D printing – Stories of 3-D printing successes in healthcare and manufacturing are gaining attention, which should make 2016 a solid growth year for 3-D printing.  Over time the use of 3-D printing will revolutionize the way companies produce materials and provide support services, including self-help components. Leading-edge companies will gain a competitive advantage from their first-mover advantage. This is still an early stage technology but one that could enable a firm to leapfrog competitors.

6.  Mass personalization 

Analytics, big data, mobile and social are all coming together to create unique interactive experiences for consumers. Mass personalization means each individual will be presented with content uniquely tailored for him or her. 

On the business side this is geared to drive loyalty and revenues. But on the IT side, it will represent a major change to applications, databases, and the underlying platforms. It will be transformative on both sides, with new disruptive players leading the way and the traditional firms struggling to catch up in both dimensions.

7.  Mobility and the Consumer Channel 

The view of one’s customer has morphed significantly over the past year. There is no longer the view of different channels to market but just a single consumer channel. 

This is driven by the fact that customers today use multiple channels over the course of a single day – necessitating access to all channels to really know one’s customer and interact with him holistically. Additionally, the technology behind it – mobility – is shifting from mobile first to mobile only.

8.  Security 

Despite numerous and continuous warnings, many executives still underestimate the security concerns caused by the use of mobile devices. Bring your own device (BYOD) strategies can be fraught with peril as encryption, password, policy, and enforcement practices are often treated as an “add-on” to enterprise security policies instead of subject to the same scrutiny. Particularly in light of the oncoming onslaught of IoT initiatives and the continuance of corporate security breaches, inadequacies must quickly be addressed. 

Executives need to limit the types of devices allowed to connect to enterprise systems. Mobile management and enforcement technologies need to integrate with other enterprise security software to simplify and universally apply policies and updates. Additionally, encryption everywhere – device, network, and storage – must be the new norm but cost and enforcement will plague implementations. IT executives must work with business, legal, and executive stakeholders immediately to fully uncover gaps in policy and procedure, assess risks, and determine appropriate action. 

Furthermore, they must ensure security policies are documented, known, and implemented universally in all new and upgraded initiatives. Executives should ensure individuals and departments are held responsible for non-compliance.

Next- Trends 9, 10 and Summary

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