AXEL Network Products:

AXEL GO - share and store files securely.

LetMeSee - photo sharing app.

  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

AXEL.org

  • Network
  • Technology
  • Applications
  • Blog
  • About
    • Team
    • Press
    • Careers
    • Patents
  • Contact Us
  • Login
    • AXEL Go
    • AXEL Cloud

March 4, 2022

How Technology Changed Business (And What That Means for the Future of the Industry)

What comes to mind when you think of the word “business?” Many people will think of stereotypical corporate activities, like signing documents, sitting in cubicles, or swimming in a sea of never-ending black and blue suits. While all three of these things still permeate throughout the business world, all three are also becoming less popular. Think about it: Physically signing documents is a rarity; many businesses use e-signatures today. Cubicles are being phased out in favor of remote work. And instead of fancy suits, we’re seeing our coworkers in more casual clothes (if we even see them in the office at all).

Business is changing. Of course, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. After all, every industry changes with time. But business is different. In order to survive, businesses have to evolve constantly and embrace new technologies that give them an edge over the competition. If they don’t, they’ll be left in the dust by smarter, more modern companies. Because of this, businesses have often been the first to widely adopt and implement innovative technology. But they aren’t just using technology to complement their existing practices; tech is now the backbone of every facet of business. Ultimately, the industry’s willingness to try new technology has helped usher in the digital era that we live in today. Technology hasn’t just helped business; it has evolved business from the ground up.

How Tech Changed Communications

It’s easy to forget, but just a few decades ago, business communication was radically different than it is today. Before the Internet, businesses relied on physical papers and snail mail to communicate. Internally, businesses needed a dedicated mail worker who transferred documents from one employee to another. For team-wide updates, papers had to be posted on a bulletin board to be seen. For external communications, businesses could use telephones to communicate, but if they needed to send a document, they had to rely on mail services. While, individually, none of these tasks are particularly burdensome, that lost time lost adds up. Mail could take a few hours to organize, international shipping could last weeks, and office telephones only worked when employees were at their desks. Before the Internet, businesses tried their best to maximize efficiency, but without modern technology, communications could be painfully slow.

Needless to say, communications at top businesses aren’t like this anymore. The turning point for businesses was the invention of email. All of a sudden, employees could communicate with each other immediately, and even attach documents digitally. As soon as email adoption became widespread in business, the business tech floodgates opened. Today, business software like Slack and Microsoft Teams allows coworkers to communicate instantaneously.

However, this tech isn’t without drawbacks. Because of how easy it is to communicate with coworkers, many employees feel like they can’t escape the office. After all, today’s smartphones can easily handle emails and video calls, ensuring that the office will always be able to contact us, no matter where we are. To that point, many businesses even require workers to respond to emails on weekends and vacations. Ultimately, business communication has become so fast and simple that many workers have trouble escaping the constant connection of their workplace.

How Tech Helps Reach Customers

One of the most difficult aspects of running a business is consistently finding new customers. Regulars are great, but in order for a business to truly thrive, it needs a plan to find and convert leads into customers. Before the Internet, this process was relatively simple. Word-of-mouth, networking, and the occasional newspaper ad were the only ways businesses could seek out new customers. Of these three, word-of-mouth was the most important, as businesses lived and died based on their reputation. Before modern technology, reaching new customers wasn’t all that costly. After all, positive word-of-mouth is just about the one thing a business can’t buy.

Today, word-of-mouth is still one of the most important parts of finding new customers, especially for small businesses. The difference, however, is that there are now dozens of ways for businesses to generate that word-of-mouth. Today, the most popular way is utilizing Facebook advertisements. A full 66% of all small business owners in the United States used Facebook to advertise their business[1]. Ultimately, very few businesses can thrive without the help of the modern Internet. Think about it: If your business has no website, no social media presence, and isn’t listed on Yelp or Google Maps, your business might as well not exist. While finding new customers is much more complex today, the multitude of ways to find new leads helps level the playing field between businesses. Now, your business doesn’t need a century-long reputation in order to succeed; it just needs high-quality digital marketing.

The Rise of Data Analysis

Many business owners may not even be aware of this, but every business uses data analysis to some degree. Simply put, data analysis is the inspection of data about a business and its customers, and making inferences based on that data. One common example is when a coffee shop increases its staffing during the morning rush. The owner knew from previous data that mornings were busier, and then decided to increase staffing to alleviate the rush. For businesses, the simple formula is to collect data, identify patterns in that data, then make predictions based on those patterns[2]. Even before modern technology, businesses regularly used data analysis to increase productivity and minimize downtime.

So, what’s different about data analysis today? Well, we’re usually not the ones doing it anymore. These days, most high-level data analysis is being done by computers. This makes sense, as computers are able to identify patterns in data much more accurately and quickly than humans. Additionally, data analysis isn’t just used for simple things like managing employee scheduling or choosing what items to stock. For the most successful businesses, data analysis is used in every area of business. From customer acquisition and targeted campaigns to new item development and supply chain management, data analysis helps businesses maximize their efficiency[3]. 

So, What’s Next?

After looking at all the ways technology has evolved business practices, one thing is for sure: Businesses are not done changing. Simply put, if there’s a way for businesses to increase their revenue, it will be utilized. And the fact is, businesses are becoming more and more reliant on computers and technology than ever before. Things like employee scheduling and data analysis, previously done by workers, are now done by computers. And, frankly, this trend is unlikely to reverse any time soon. Now, this doesn’t mean computers will be the ones running businesses in a few years. But let’s face it: They are already making many of the big decisions at businesses across the world. 

Ultimately, technology makes businesses more efficient. Unfortunately, as businesses rely more on technology, this also means they rely less on workers. Positions including warehouse jobs, customer service, and banking services are slowly being overtaken by technology[4]. It’s a sad reality, but businesses can simply be more successful with unpaid bots, rather than salaried employees. Again, technology is unlikely to replace human workers en masse any time soon. But as technology becomes more and more advanced, the most successful businesses will rely on tech more than ever before.

About AXEL

Technology is useful in every facet of business, but particularly in the area of cybersecurity. Cybercrime poses a threat to businesses big and small, highlighting the need for affordable cybersecurity solutions. That’s why we created AXEL Go. AXEL Go uses military-grade encryption, blockchain technology, and decentralized servers to ensure it’s the most secure file transfer software on the market. Whether you need to transfer large files or send files online, AXEL Go is the best cloud storage solution. If you’re ready to try the most secure file-sharing app for PC and mobile devices, download AXEL Go for free here.

[1] “Leading Social Media Networks Used by Small Businesses to Advertise in the United States in 2021.” Statista, November 18, 2021. https://www.statista.com/statistics/208971/effective-social-media-marketing-tools-for-small-us-businesses/

[2] “Why Data Analytics Is Critical for Small Businesses.” AirSlate, August 17, 2021. https://blog.airslate.com/why-data-analytics-is-critical-for-small-businesses/

[3] Mills, Terence. “Council Post: Five Benefits of Big Data Analytics and How Companies Can Get Started.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, December 10, 2021. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2019/11/06/five-benefits-of-big-data-analytics-and-how-companies-can-get-started/?sh=48b2320117e4
[4] “Council Post: Tech Experts Predict 13 Jobs That Will Be Automated by 2030.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, December 10, 2021. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2019/03/01/tech-experts-predict-13-jobs-that-will-be-automated-by-2030/?sh=3fc53ffb22bf

Filed Under: Business, Tech Tagged With: communication, customer data, cybercrime, data analytics, data privacy, data protection, marketing, Security, Social Media, technology

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • AXEL News Update
  • AXEL Events
  • Why Digital Sharding is the Future of File Storage
  • The Practical Applications of Web3
  • Archival With the Future in Mind
  • IPFS: Securing Our Privacy Future
  • What Do We Do About Social Engineering?
  • Five Simple Security Tricks
  • IPFS: The InterPlanetary Solution to Small Business Problems 
  • Schools: Our Cybersecurity Blindspot
  • The State of Privacy Laws in 2022
  • The Great Return (Back to the Office)
  • Artificial Intelligence is Here to Stay. How Will That Affect Businesses, Individuals, and Our Privacy?
  • Big Tech is Talking Privacy. What Does That Mean for the Future of Our Data?
  • How Technology Changed Business (And What That Means for the Future of the Industry)
  • Small Business Tech Trends of 2022
  • After the Cyberattack: What Happens to your Data Following a Breach?
  • Has School Surveillance Gone Too Far?
  • What Does Cyberwarfare Look Like? Just Ask Ukraine.
  • National Data Privacy Day: The Internet isn’t Anonymous Anymore
  • AXEL’s Guide to Remote Work
  • How Law Firms Should Handle Cybercrime
  • National Technology Day: How Tech has Changed the Way We Live
  • The World’s Top Hacking Groups – Part 2
  • The World’s Top Hacking Groups – Part 1
  • 2021 Cybersecurity Year in Review
  • INTERVIEW: How COVID Changed the Courtroom (and the Future of Law)
  • Enron, Ethics, and the Fight for Privacy
  • The History and Modern Uses of Encryption
  • Self-Driving Cars are Here. Are Businesses, Consumers, and Lawyers Ready?
  • Cybersecurity Strategies for Small Businesses and Firms
  • Is Virtual Reality the Future? Facebook Thinks So.
  • Devastating Data Breaches – Part 5: Facebook Dismisses Data Security
  • Devastating Data Breaches – Part 4: How Target Changed Credit Cards
  • Devastating Data Breaches – Part 3: The Negligence of Equifax
  • Devastating Data Breaches – Part 2: Marriott’s Merger Misfire
  • Devastating Data Breaches – Part 1: The Hard Fall of Yahoo
  • Everywhere is the New Office: The Rise of Digital Nomads
  • Convenient or Monopolistic? Epic’s Challenge to Apple’s “Walled Garden”
  • The State of Privacy Laws in the United States
  • Big Tech’s Big Secret: Why Google and Apple Want Your Data
  • Data Privacy and Security Increase Profitability in the Cannabis Industry
  • Bitcoin has Entered the Mainstream. Now What?
  • Data Breaches are Here to Stay (For the Unprepared)
  • What the New Infrastructure Bill Means for Tech
  • Shady Schemes and Sinful Scams: The History of Internet Spam
  • Lawyers are the New I.T.: Tech Tips for Legal Professionals
  • For Here or To Go? Remote Work, Hybrid Offices and the Future of the Workplace
  • The Fallout of Edward Snowden and his Leaked Documents, Eight Years Later
  • Another Day, Another Cyberattack: Kaseya Software and the Future of Ransomware

Recent Comments

    Footer

    Sitemap
    © Copyright 2022 Axel ®. All Rights Reserved.
    Terms & Policies
    • Telegram
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Reddit
    • LinkedIn
    • Instagram
    • Discord
    • GitHub