Technology is the future, there’s no doubt about it. It’s becoming an integral part of our everyday lives and an essential for modern business.
Growth projections for the Australian tech market were 2.6% for 2018, and that’s expected to increase in coming years. Australian small businesses eager to embrace change are a huge part of this booming market.
Investing in new technology not only provides small business with new ways of doing business, it also brings great opportunities. Many of the new technologies available allow small business to boost productivity and efficiency by streamlining their day to day processes or eliminating manual tasks like filing. Innovation is the key to greater productivity and output.
Put simply, clever new devices make life easier for business, and that can only be a good thing.
2 in 1 devices that combine a laptop with a tablet have come about because of the agile working trend, providing more flexibility to work in different settings.
2 in 1 devices are available with bend back or detachable screens, which is useful for adapting to different work settings. Bend back units are effective in laptop mode and feature a better keyboard and more ports. They can easily swap to touch-screen for watching videos or working on smaller projects. A detachable unit allows you to swap completely between tablet and laptop mode for freedom of movement but does have a slightly weaker battery life and a less intuitive keyboard.
Working remotely means calling in for meetings and conferences and so webcams and headsets have become a “must have” for small business. With so many options out in the marketplace, the key to making the right choice is determining your environment and buying accordingly.
Are you working in the office, at home or on the go? How noisy will this environment be? The right speakers, depending on your surroundings, will help you to get the most out of your calls and the right microphone will deliver suitable sound quality at the other end to make sure you are heard.
You will need to consider these conditions when choosing your webcam too, particularly the resolution. The higher the resolution, the clearer you’ll look on screen. For best results, start with a minimum of 640×480 pixels.
You will need to make sure that your headset solution is compatible with your phone system, avoiding last minute stress because you can’t join a call. The same goes for your webcam – compatibility with your computer is the key.
We’re all happy to see physical filing becoming a thing of the past, but in its place has come the task of securely saving important documents in electronic form. External hard drives and USBs are top of the list for data storage but be sure that the drives you are buying are encrypted, password protected and include anti-tampering features. An external hard drive SSD or a 1tb external hard drive can hold massive amounts of data and are a worthwhile investment.
For remote workers, portable scanners are a lifesaver as they abolish need to carry around piles of documents to scan once back in the office. They provide a way to securely file important and sensitive information, in most locations. On-the-go scanning is truly one of the great feats of technology.
Despite the boom in agile working, there is still a need for the trusty monitor. In fact, there is a growing trend for employee workstations to include two (or more) monitors.
It can be quite tricky choosing the right monitor as no one monitor will do all things. The important thing is to choose a monitor based on individual use. For example, a photographer, web or game designer will need a specialised monitor that offers, at the very least, precise colour accuracy. Of course, these specialised monitors are perfectly fine for general use, but if you need a monitor for general use only, there is no need to spend the extra money.
Many small businesses struggle to keep up with rapidly changing technologies, but with a little research and leg work, staying on top of the technology train is achievable. It’s worth the effort, as there are many business benefits, including better efficiency and productivity, as well as a real improvement in that elusive work/life balance.
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