In a recent interview with David Cearley, Vice President at Gartner Inc., he shared the top technology trends for businesses in 2015.  The Gartner report is produced on an annual basis and serves as a key barometer for business leaders, procurement specialists and technology enthusiasts.   The report for 2015 highlights a number of common themes.  The following three items I believe are the most important drivers for business owners like me.

As the founder of Creative Choice Group in Florida, it is imperative that our team stays current with technology advancement to push our business forward and capitalize on consumer trends that shape purchase behaviors across the globe.

1. Digital Business.  No shocker here but the first notable trend is that we live in a digital world.  This is a common theme that we have covered this month.   There are a variety of “online” trends changing business interactions.  In the commercial real estate world, the user-portal is one example of how technology is changing the customer experience and the conversation between building managers and their tenants.  This of course is being driven by mobility.  People are computing everywhere thanks to the advent of hand held devices that are portable, affordable and powerful.    In addition to mobile devices, there is an increase in the Internet of Things – or IOT.  Specifically for building management the use of digital sensors creates the ability to support real-time oversight, and adjustment to drive down operational expenses and improve overall efficiency.
2. Intelligence Everywhere.  The second key trend is that of data or intelligence.  The use of computers has enabled business leaders to study their customer preferences and behaviors to start predicting and modeling future spend.  It is a marketing person’s dream to have this kind of customer analytics.  At Etech Global Solutions, our team partners with key Fortune 500 businesses to use propensity modeling to target our outbound campaigns.  This targeted approach drives up our sales per hour or SPH and increases the return on investment for our clients.  In addition, the industry is seeing an expanded set of smart machines.  Robotics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are rapidly evolving and becoming more main-stream as tools for day to day business management.    The power of information is far reaching.  Making smart and targeted choices helps to avoid mistakes. It can also significantly reduce the risk of unnecessary legal action or law suits too.
3. Infrastructure. The final trend is most definitely the change in IT infrastructure.  Cloud computing and software as a service (SAAS) are helping IT teams migrate from an equipment centric model that is capital intensive to a hosted environment.  This new infrastructure enables business leaders to scale up and down more quickly and eliminate the hurdle of high end equipment purchases. We are also seeing security as a key focus – from privacy of customer records to perimeter defense, it is another hot trend to follow.

It is clear that technology is moving faster and faster.  More importantly consumers are getting smarter and smarter.  Staying one step ahead of the key trends will give you the competitive advantage in the market.  It’s time to make your business growth the next big trend!