As a business owner, you naturally want to do whatever you can to ensure that your company is as successful as possible. In addition to hiring experienced people to work for you and taking great care of your valued customers, you want to provide your team with the tools they need to get the job done.
When shopping for technology in recent months, you might have noticed an interesting trend: everything seems to be getting a lot smaller. This phenomenon is called “dematerialization.” For instance, instead of having to buy a cell phone, calculator and incredible camera, people can now spring for a smartphone that handles all of these tasks and more. In order to keep up with the latest trends in tech and set your company up to thrive in this increasingly dematerialized world, check out the following tips:
Embrace Advances Wholeheartedly
Successful business owners have one key thing in common: a deep rooted sense of curiosity about a group of quickly growing technologies. From AI and machine learning to digital manufacturing, 3D printing, quantum computing and more, an “exponential entrepreneur” realizes and accepts that these are the technologies that can transform the business world. Once you realize that these types of tech are here to stay and find a way to be excited about them and appreciate their enormous potential, it will be easier to bring them on board in your company.
Get to Know the Technology that is Leading to Dematerialization
To understand the dematerialization concept as much as possible, it’s a good idea to learn more about the specific types of tech that are leading this phenomenon. A perfect example is the upcoming 5G wireless technology. 5G is the 5th generation mobile network; as 5G wireless devices are launched, they will allow the mobile network to not only connect people, but also machines, objects and devices. 5G technology will allow our smartphones to be even better, including new virtual reality and augmented reality experiences. Also, thanks to the power of 5G technology, it will connect embedded sensors in a variety of devices, leading to a reduction of power usage and a more streamlined experience.
If Possible, Find a Free Trial
When it comes to amazing new technology, it is not limited to huge companies and brands; smaller operations can certainly adopt and use the latest and greatest devices. Having said that, major corporations usually have the bigger budgets that are needed to buy the latest tech. If you are tempted to try a new type of technology or tool but are not 100 percent sure if it will help your company, ask for a free trial so you can check it out prior to purchasing it. If this is not an option, see if another, non-competing business owner who you know and trust has adopted the technology and if so, ask what they think of it. There are a number of free tech trials that are available; for example, AppDynamices offers a 15-day trial that allows you to check out your entire application performance, and IBM lets people try their IBM SPSS software for free to see if it will work for their company. SAS also features free software trials that will enable you to see how their software can help you analyze and visually explore data. You can either Google the type of software you want to try, or call the company to see if they offer a free trial. By asking lots of questions about a new form of tech, and being honest about its usefulness in your particular company, you can make smarter purchases instead of impulse buys.
While you don’t necessarily want to run out and buy every new type of technology that comes along — especially if it is not right for your company — it does seem that dematerialization is here to stay. By learning as much as you can about new advances in tech and which specific types are especially innovative, you will go a long way in helping your company to succeed in this tech-happy world.
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