A webcast on what small businesses could expect in 2012 was recently hosted by ZDNET. A theme of the webcast was that, “we no longer live in one environment,” and the panel agreed that data and communications should be easily moved across platforms, applications and devices.
Two of the anticipated trends reflected this; the expanded use of smartphones with a tremendous variety of applications, and the ability of businesses to move away from desktop PCs as the central tool of the workspace.
These two trends reflect the fact that the line between consumer items and business tools is becoming indistinct. It has become common for employees to bring their own devices to the workplace, so that personal smartphones and laptops become tools used for the benefit of the employer.
ZDNET’s panel cautioned that there are risks to this trend, and specifically pointed to the potential loss of data stored on employee devices.
Additional trends identified were the continued move away from printing as a central function in small businesses, and increased use of digital signage to allow companies to effectively communicate with their target audience. The panel also focused on the chance to build stronger customer relationships when businesses did not limit themselves to traditional advertising.