It’s safe to say that 2020 was one of the unruliest years in recent memory. The pandemic decimated entire industries, forced many businesses around the world to close their doors, and reminded everyone that survival depends on the ability to adapt and innovate.
Even though 2020 is now coming to an end, the disruption it brought into our lives will continue to shape how organizations operate even in 2021. To help you prepare for them, we’ve put together this list of the top small business technology trends to look out for.
Remote Work Will Be the New Normal
The trend toward working from home is nothing new, but living in a COVID-19 world accelerated it significantly. According to data published by Stanford University, almost every other working American is now working from home full time.
While large organizations were quick to utilize their vast resources to overcome the challenges of remote working, not all small and medium-sized organizations were equally successful. That needs to change quickly because many experts predict that remote working is here to stay.
To thrive in 2021, business leaders must approach remote working in a structural way. Employees need access to the right tools so they can remain productive without exposing sensitive business data and personal information to hackers. The good news is that managed IT services providers are ready to help organizations of all sizes transition to remote work without breaking their budgets.
Cloud Adoption Will Continue
Cloud adoption and remote working go hand in hand. When the first lockdown measures were introduced, it quickly became clear that those who had already moved to the cloud had a leg up on the competition. That’s because the cloud makes it possible to access business applications and data from anywhere, allowing remote employees to continue doing their work on their personal and work devices alike.
Although just 10 percent of respondents to O’Reilly’s 2020 survey of cloud adoption said they didn’t use cloud computing at all, only a small fraction of organizations use the cloud to its full potential. Those who continue pushing for cloud solutions are in the best position to maintain efficiency regardless of what the year 2021 brings.
Cybersecurity Will Remain a Top Priority
This is not just for organizations that are adapting to the new reality of remote working. Cybercriminals have doubled down on targeting remote workers since the start of the pandemic. The FBI reported that the number of complaints about cyberattacks to their Cyber Division was up to as many as 4,000 a day, and other cybercrime statistics look similarly bleak. And they range from hacking emails at your local dry cleaner to highly sophisticated schemes. The latest SolarWinds data breach that affected countless target—including our federal government and many Fortune 500 companies—is proof of just how powerful these attacks can get.
As such, cybersecurity must remain a top priority even in 2021. Organizations that don’t have the resources and expertise to effectively protect themselves against the latest cyber threats should outsource their security to a trustworthy managed security services provider. That way, they can avoid costly data breaches while maintaining focus on their core business.
VoIP Technology Will Become Even More Popular
The ability to easily connect to one another in real-time, at any time is important not just for remote workers but also for those who are working in a physical office setting. VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) systems can do for an organization’s telephone setup the same thing the cloud can do for its IT infrastructure.
The top benefits of VoIP for small businesses include reduced call costs, built-in voicemail, increased accessibility, complete portability, straightforward conferencing, better voice quality, improved scalability, and superior security, among others. Because of benefits such as these, VoIP technology will become even more popular in 2021, with industry experts predicting a market valuation of over $93.2 billion by 2024.
Ensure 2021 Is Less Reactive than 2020
Regardless of how your business has fared throughout 2020, you need to start preparing for next year right now. Help Desk Cavalry can help you stay on top of technology trends and use them to your advantage. With our help, the year 2021 can be your best year yet. Contact us today for more information.