Why is emerging technology important to organizations

Communication with the clients as well as within the company has improved due to technology. It is now easier for people in different departments and different positions to communicate and observe the tasks assigned to different employees. Connecting with customers or employees is made easier through mobile technology that can also be used for marketing purposes to send promotional emails or newsletters to motivate them to work with the companies.

With the help of cloud computing, businesses can observe the work of their competitors and learn from their mistakes and successes. Technology also makes sure that businesses stay in touch with their customers and potential customers with the help of social media that can be used to promote the organization, as well as gather feedback from clients to help them improve.

Businesses can improve their visibility with the help of the internet by registering their business with business directories which would help the right customers find their business when they search for similar keywords. Cloud Technology helps share resources, information, and software through a network of computers.

Salesforce which is also the leading CRM solution provider helps in bridging the gap between the employees, customers, and businesses. Salesforce provides features that include real-time feeds, profiles, recommendations, trending topics, etc.

Some of the new and old technological trends that may impact businesses include:. Self-driving drones are also seeing a rise in popularity across geographies and sectors. One such industry is the media, where these vehicles have served as a great equaliser, allowing even smaller outlets to capture high quality aerial shots.

However, unmanned aerial vehicles UAVs or drones have also proved useful in environmental monitoring, conservation and last-mile disaster relief. Recently, they were even used to provide relief to areas affected by Typhoon Haiyan and Hurricane Sandy. Breaking Free of Bitcoin When people think of blockchain, they think of cryptocurrencies.

And while the two are closely connected, the applications of blockchain go far beyond just facilitating crypto transactions. One of the most popular uses of the technology is its application in supply chain management.

With blockchain, businesses can simplify and track supply chains that are becoming increasingly complex, and geographically widespread. Digitising different components of the supply chain helps businesses track their operations in real-time, and eliminate any kinks in the process. Blockchain is also being leveraged to ensure freshness, safety and sustainability across the food supply chain, by connecting farmers, distributors and retailers.

Emerging technology and its impact on business. Adoption rates have not been as steep as some expected, and few emerging technologies appear to match cloud computing in terms of accessibility across a wide range of companies. Research and observations from this nascent era of emerging technology suggest that companies are struggling to find the correct approach.

To be sure, the enterprise technology space has seen massive shifts, with businesses transforming their mindset from a tactical attitude to a strategic implementation.

It is no surprise that many organizations would view emerging technologies in the same way they have viewed previous technologies, but the landscape has shifted. Success with emerging technologies depends on a thorough understanding of how these trends rely on IT fundamentals while driving future transformation.

The starting point for understanding this field is understanding the viewpoint of CIOs and other IT leaders as they navigate a digital future for their organizations. The next step is determining how emerging technologies are different from IT in previous eras. Finally, there are direct applications of emerging technology to IT practices, including evaluation, decision-making, workflow and, most importantly, skills.

Emerging technology may have become a highly hyped concept, but businesses that cut through the hype can find ways to build competitive advantage. The first question to answer when exploring emerging technology is whether there is any practical reason for focusing on the field or if it is simply a construction of media and pundits.

The technology industry is no stranger to trends that dominate discussion for a short time but then fade into history. If emerging technology is truly a meaningful notion, where are IT leaders finding that meaning?

To start, consider the area where emerging technology holds little meaning: tactical IT operations. There are individual technologies that companies may be implementing or exploring, but then the focus turns to the necessary details e.

IoT sensor integration or AI-enhanced process modification. The fact that emerging technology is not part of a tactical conversation explains some of the disconnect between hype and reality. Tactical IT, which was the dominant IT methodology for decades, focuses on implementing and maintaining established technology to support business outcomes.

The goals of tactical IT tend to be on the operational end of the spectrum—controlling costs, sustaining availability and monitoring performance. Exploring new technology is not directly in line with these types of goals. Where emerging technology looms large, then, is on the strategic side. While there has always been some strategic component to enterprise technology, the demand for that way of thinking has risen drastically.

It is clear that this approach is a radical departure from the traditional way of managing IT, and companies everywhere are adjusting to the new reality. This new space is where emerging technology as a broad concept has significant relevance. There are two specific ways in which emerging technology is informing CIO actions. First, it is more important than ever to be aware of the trends that are on the horizon.

Most IT departments have always had some degree of interest in the future, but the willingness to be educated on details or brainstorm about possibilities has differed depending on industry vertical or individual company desire to be on the cutting edge.

Few companies today are willing to wait until a new technology has been widely adopted or built into a user-friendly product; there is more demand to push the envelope, which drives a need for prescribed exploration.

The second reason for IT leaders to focus on emerging technology is risk mitigation. While awareness helps predict new benefit to a company that comes from early adoption, risk mitigation focuses more on the potential impact of being a late adopter. One of the hallmarks of modern technology is the acceleration of certain business practices or cycles. Thanks to new distribution paths and potential efficiency gains, new competitors can gain market share faster than ever.

Exploring new technology through a defensive lens will help IT leaders see where their current business practices are vulnerable. The odds of a new entrant using emerging technology to bypass a traditional barrier have risen, and technology professionals are on the front lines for helping businesses pivot before they are disrupted. Trying to fit emerging technology into a previous paradigm basically reverses the approach that should be taken.

Implementing any individual technology should be the end of the process, which should start with broad exploration and rely on creative thinking to construct new systems and workflow. The notion of new things on the horizon is a familiar concept for the tech industry. Keeping an eye on the future has always been part of the game, especially for those with a passion for pushing technology to its limit.

Accelerated technology adoption and heightened risk mitigation have certainly given new meaning to cutting edge trends. In a January article on his website Stratechery, tech analyst Ben Thompson proposes an argument that is at odds with much of the thinking around technology evolution. The prevailing thought is that there is some paradigm shift coming in the future that will define a new era of computing.

Thompson argues that at a fundamental level, these three eras were actually points on a continuum, and we have now reached the final state of the basic computing foundation.

Thompson uses two criteria to define this foundation: where and when computing takes place. From a location perspective, computing shifted from a single room mainframe to an office environment PC to omnipresence cloud.

From a timing perspective, computing shifted from batch mode mainframe to deliberate computing tasks PC to constant use mobile. Now that computing is happening everywhere all the time, there is no more growth taking place in the foundation.

This does not mean that industry growth stops, though. It simply changes the direction. As the outward growth of the foundation platform slows or stops, there is more upward growth potential in the solutions that can be built on the platform. Not only does the final platform have more capability than ever before, but the stability drives more energy into the ecosystem.