Technology is an essential component for most businesses. Strategic integration of technology has been proven to address significant operational challenges that often elude smaller businesses and startups. In this context, we'll explore three imperative questions about business technology that every tech-savvy individual should be acquainted with and make clear the importance of such knowledge.
Macro Systems Blog
Any business can benefit from data and use it to enhance its operations. This is especially the case where information technology is involved. By collecting the right metrics, you can better evaluate your business IT’s performance and identify areas for improvement.
Let’s review what some of these metrics should be.
Technology is becoming a standard tool utilized by nearly every business. Learning how to adjust and do things better allows any organization to maximize productivity. In doing so, it creates the environment needed to become a more successful business. But, can innovation actually be a productivity killer? Listed below is a look at how innovating may not always be the best way to get your business to go where you want it to go.
With the blockchain becoming more popular as a technology, we thought it would be good to discuss how it works and why you should be aware of it. The zeitgeist usually portrays it as a nefarious tool utilized by cryptocurrency and scams, but at its core, it is far from this; in fact, the applications of such a decentralized and transparent technology make it perfect for certain tasks.
Love them or hate them, self-service checkout registers in brick-and-mortar stores are here to stay, especially considering that research has demonstrated that Gen Z has about twice the level of buy-in to the automated point-of-sale terminals as Gen X does, and that self-checkout is the predominant modern form of payment. With this success, many have wondered how welcome biometric payment processing might be.
As it turns out, it would seem it isn’t.
While artificial intelligence is frequently hyped up to the point that it seems to be plucked from the realm of science fiction, its true applications are actually much more mundane. However, these applications are often the ones that show the most promise in terms of the value they have to offer society.
For example, let’s consider the work that Google is doing via something called Project Green Light.
The Internet of Things, or IoT is everywhere. There’s a relatively good chance that a device that would be part of the IoT is within your reach right now, perhaps even on your person. Businesses of all kinds utilize the IoT for various purposes as well, but behind this usage lies significant risk from cyberthreats, and a shocking number of businesses seem to accept this risk without much concern… as in, the vast majority of surveyed businesses utilizing the IoT demonstrated a lack of protection but seemed not to be bothered by it.
Over the past several years, it has come to the attention of people in numerous industries that there is going to be a time, very soon, where the data that needs to be stored is going to outweigh our ability to store it. In a collaboration with the University of Southampton in England, Microsoft has taken aim at this very problem and has come up with some innovative solutions.
Foldable phones saw a very slow start when they were introduced a few years ago; high prices and horror stories about their fragility scaring away all but the earliest of early adopters. That being said, thanks to an enthusiastic fanbase, the concept has persisted and has become a legitimate option amongst flagship devices.
Listed below are some of the predictions that have been made surrounding the future of the foldable smartphone market, and why business users might be drawn to the flexible form factor.
It's not unusual for today's businesses to turn more and more often to “green” technologies, partially due to the reduced environmental impacts that come with their use, and partially due to the operational advantages that many of these technologies also bring. Listed below are some of the options that even smaller businesses can embrace that bring these kinds of mutual benefits.
It seems that you can’t turn your head these days without seeing artificial intelligence being incorporated into some software or platform. That being said, many leaders in the technology space have conveyed their concerns about the “profound risks to society and humanity” that AI poses, outlined in an open letter.
The blockchain has been a hot topic in the past few years, if only tangentially. With all the buzz about cryptocurrencies, it can be easy to forget about the underlying technology that powers it and its other applications. Listed below is a discussion about how the blockchain could be involved with security needs in the future.
AI has been a popular topic in recent months and years, which only makes sense. Not only has it been used in more public applications, but it has also caused controversy as it seems to “compete” with people. Back in September, art made by using an artificially intelligent platform caused a stir by winning an art competition, and workplace fears of a computer taking one’s job have seemingly become more well-founded than ever.
Ever heard of the Uncanny Valley? It’s the theory that explains why the human race tends to prefer humanoid robots, but only up to a point, after which we find them unsettling. It’s one reason why so many people found the 2019 film Cats difficult to watch. The Uncanny Valley has also been present in film in recent years, especially when actors who have passed are recreated digitally to make an appearance, or when talent needs to look older or younger than they are.
There’s no denying that at the moment the economic forecast is a bit bleak, with murmurings of a recession growing louder by the day. As this situation develops, many organizations are likely seeking out opportunities to trim the fat. However, despite this, we anticipate that artificial intelligence will actually see a bit of an uptick.
Every piece of technology we regularly use these days was once earth-shakingly innovative, regardless of how mundane and common it seems now. Think about it: people once had endless questions about the Internet, about computers…even about electricity. Listed below are some modern innovations that we have many questions about now, but may someday be just as much of a given as the other tools we so commonly use today.