Are you embracing technology?

 

"Can Do" badge

One of the most important rules I set myself is to employ or do business with people who wear the “Can Do” badge. Why do I say this and what do I mean? To generate and grow a business requires a positive approach, an ability to come up with solutions and be constructively critical. I will avoid people who find reasons not to do things. Those who wear the “Can Do” badge are the first to embrace technology.

Embracing Technology

Are you embracing technology in your business? Are you thinking about the growth opportunities the internet will provide? Here are some facts and forecasts to help you address this fast growing, global marketplace.

 

Drivers of technology growth and just some of the opportunities

Here are just a few of the drivers and opportunities. I am sure you will be able to come up with many more over a 20 minute cup of coffee and a whiteboard or dare I say a piece of paper!

  • Increased access to the internet - currently 2.1 billion people have access to the internet and that is forecast to reach 5 billion by 2020. That means two thirds of the world’s population will have access to the internet by 2020.
  • 22 billion devices will be connected to the Internet by 2020. That’s nearly three devices on average per capita. This requires a massive 30 times increase in digital storage capacity.
  • Mobile Internet growth is exploding – just look at the growth of Apple and Android platforms via smartphones and tablets – you only need to look at the growth of the “app” stores to see the hardware and software opportunities
  • There is a huge increase in the use of Voice Over IP (VOIP) calls, the growth of video and training webinars
  • Cloud computing will offer cost savings, improved Return On Investment (ROI) and greater functionality
  • Data and document management, integration, analysis, security and fraud prevention have all become big issues and ever more complex
  • Content – this huge internet growth requires value added content. Much of the material on the internet is simply drivel. How do you search and find relevant, valuable data. How can you extract value from it by turning it into information?
  • Social media has exploded. The world’s third largest population after China and India is Facebook. You may think Facebook is something you don’t have time for. Well think again. It now has more than 845 million users and it is still growing. That is what I call an opportunity provided you are thoughtful about how your business is trying to target relevant users. Linked In (the Facebook for business) has 136 million users, Twitter is believed to have somewhere in the region of 200-400 million users.

So take some time out and think how is my business addressing these opportunities. Think global. That’s what the internet represents. That’s what the UK stands for. The UK has the advantage of being perfectly placed in the world time zones between the US and Asia. Ask yourself where you are going to find the Generation Y students who can help you? How you are going to train and motivate them?

You do NOT need to be a technology expert nor have a degree in computer science to participate in this growth opportunity. You DO need to wear the “Can Do” badge and embrace technology by applying it commercially.