Business IT Guide top technology trends

Based on traffic and downloads from its website, the Business IT Guide team has highlighted the technology trends that every small business should keep an eye on in the next 12 months.

eReaders and tablet computers
In 2010 the eReader will become an essential new digital platform for consuming and managing content within every business. This is the year of integration and personalisation of the technology that all small enterprises will use. As the year progresses, the tablet PC will begin to find its niche in the business sector. Also expect a rush of new eReaders with colour screens using the Plastic Logic technology that offers lightweight and flexible screens.

Cloud computing
Data storage and applications will move away from the PC desktop and increasingly into the cloud as 2010 progresses. With current platforms from Google and Amazon dominating the corporate space, new entrants into the sector will offer cost-effective solutions that all small businesses can use.

Mobile devices
By the end of 2010 there will be over one billion mobile phone handsets that can access the Internet. Small businesses have a new platform through which to communicate with customers and, for some, a huge new market to sell their digital content to. M-commerce, or mobile commerce, is set to enter the mainstream in 2010. Retailers that already have a presence on the web will make their content suitable for this new mobile sales channel. It will also give small businesses a new market for advertising.

Advanced analytics
Business intelligence (BI) will become even more important in 2010 as businesses increasingly mine their customer data for new sales leads. BI, which used to be an expensive commodity, will become available to micro businesses via online services, such as the subscription-based SaaS platforms that BI vendors will offer in 2010.

Green IT
The green credentials of all businesses will come under even more scrutiny as 2010 progresses. Customers and commercial partners alike will place more emphasis on businesses’ environmental policies. Technology such as smart metering to increase the efficiency of energy usage will come into its own this year. The use of Cloud Computing and more flexible and mobile work practices will also help to alleviate the pressure that businesses place on the environment.

Location-based services
The location of customers will become of paramount importance in 2010. A new wave of geo-location services will move the smartphone and PDA to a new level of usability. The inclusion of GPS technology in most handsets offers an entirely new opportunity to link with business colleagues and customers alike via their location. It is predicted that there will be nearly 200m augmented reality handsets in the market by 2012. Blending location-based services on these handsets with social networks will create an entirely new market – and one that is set to explode by the end of the year.

Digital marketing media
Digital marketing in 2010 will take on an increasingly social aspect as Web 2.0 becomes commercialised. 2010 will also be the year that search engine optimisation and traditional online display ads get an overhaul. As commercialisation of social networks takes root all businesses will need to ensure this channel is a central component of their digital marketing strategy throughout 2010 and beyond.