New Technologies Equal Growth for Your Business

While implementing new technology hardware or software can be challenging, ultimately the pros of new technology outweigh the cons and the benefits show up in the bottom line. There’s a reason why computers replaced typewriters and email replaced snail mail.

New software is constantly emerging to solve problems and inefficiencies. Investing in new technology equals growth for your business and gives your employees the tools to keep up and get ahead in this fast-paced world.

Advantages of Implementing New Technology

The five areas were new technology is advantageous to business are:

• Speed, efficiency and agility
• Storage and sharing
• Mobility and remote connectivity
• Automation
• Communication

Speed, Efficiency and Agility

Speeding up workflow processes is the goal of any new office technology. The ultimate resource, more time, helps your employees to focus on what’s important.

Being able to respond to data, adapt to changes and make informed decisions quickly, helps businesses to stay ahead of the competition. New technology and analytics give them the tools to do that.

Storage and Sharing

Studies have shown that nearly 20 percent of the workweek is wasted searching for information. Employees shouldn’t have to waste time looking for files, documents or other information. It’s a major inefficiency that ultimately costs a business money.

Technology that streamlines information storage and sharing is important for a business to run efficiently. Also, outdated technology puts your company’s confidential information at risk and sets you up for a data breach that could cost dearly.

Mobility and Remote Connectivity

Many companies are adopting flexible work-from-home policies, so employees need to be able to access systems remotely. By implementing the latest technology, businesses can connect with their employees instantly, wherever they may be.

Automation

New technology allows companies to automate functions that would previously require an employee. Things like data entry, analytics, bookkeeping and contact management can be partially or completely automated. This allows for more efficiency and eliminates the risk of human error.

Communication

New technology is built with the idea of improving and speeding up communication. Investing in new communication systems help to streamline both internal and external communication.

The Best New Technologies for Business

Using the right technology can speed up business processes by making different tasks more flexible. Examples include making communication easier, securing business data, improving customer care and so much more.

The best technologies for business owners to help increase profits and stay ahead of competitors include:

• Augmented reality devices
• Wireless conference rooms
• The Internet of Things
• Cloud computing
• Wearable technology

Augmented Reality Devices

Augmented reality devices offer a unique opportunity to “show” rather than just tell about products and ideas. Devices such as the HoloLens from Microsoft, will let you show designs, work together remotely and develop things in relation to the real world.

Wireless Conference Rooms

Every company needs to discuss strategy and progress with their team, from time to time. These days, many companies are adopting a wireless solution for meetings that lets them connect to team members and clients wherever they are.

One solution is the VIA product line by Kramer. This technology lets you connect to meetings wirelessly with your own device and effectively engage with all the participants. Companies can wirelessly stream videos and presentations across several conference rooms, allowing employees to work together.

The Internet of Things

The Internet of Things offers a wide range of technologies, from smart lights to connected security cameras. IoT devices are being used in the form of connected sensors and cameras to monitor productivity and efficiency.

It can also allow team members to be more productive, no matter where in the world they’re located.

Cloud Computing

Cloud computing allows for a centralized information database system that can be accessed through any Internet-enabled device, including laptops, tablets and smartphones.

Cloud computing can help businesses to improve their products and services, as well as their internal communications. Through cloud technology, the entire workforce can connect with one another and access the data and other materials they need.

Wearable Technology

Smart watches have changed the way people interact with the world around them and are mostly dedicated to health and fitness tracking. Business-wise, it gives employers an opportunity to encourage healthy and active lifestyles for their employees. Healthy workers mean fewer sick days and greater productivity.

The Top Workplace Tech Tools

Modern offices are becoming increasingly populated with gadgets and tools aimed at improving connectivity, efficiency and productivity. Here are a few examples of workplace tech tools.

Skyroam Solis 4G LTE Hotspot

The Skyroam Solis is a palm-sized, SIM-free Wi-Fi hotspot. It resembles an orange puck and provides power for up to 16 hours on two batteries.

It’s easy to set up and use and you can connect up to five devices at a time to a single Skyroam. An adapter lets you charge other devices, as well.

The device has over 300 partnerships with network carriers around the world and uses its own patented virtual SIM technology to connect to Wi-Fi. Four pay-as-you-go plans are available.

The free Skyroam app allows you to send an emergency SMS or email with your current location to friends using the “smart button” option. You can keep track of your location on Google sheets, tweet your current location, get the news and weather reports daily, locate lost gadgets and use Amazon Alexa to activate a Skyroam plan.

ZeroLemon Extreme Charge Station

The ZeroLemon is an affordable charger than can power all of your devices at once, either wired or wirelessly. It can deliver up to 135W of power through four USB ports and two wireless contact points.

This charging station is very compact at approximately 5.5 x 4 x 1.30 inches, which includes the power supply unit.

OWC USB-C Travel Dock

As laptop manufacturers continue to reduce the number of ports on their machines, travel docks have become more popular. There are many to choose from but Other World Computing (OWC), has a “high performance workflow solution” travel dock, one of the smallest, that comes with the all-important Power Delivery pass-through feature.

This travel dock has one type-C connector, two USB 3.1 ports, an SD card reader and a HDMI 2.0 port. At approximately 3.15 x 3.15 x .91-inches, this travel dock is very compact.

Alogic USB-C Dock Plus

The Alogic USB-C dock isn’t as compact as some of the competition but, at $70 on Amazon, it’s affordable and has some features not found anywhere else on a travel dock.

This docking station is built from aluminum and ABS plastic and is portable enough to carry in a shirt pocket. It also has built-in technology to shield it from surrounding magnetic interference and can provide up to 100W of power. There are two card readers and two graphics ports (HDMI and DisplayPort).

The Alogic USB-C dock also has a gigabit ethernet port and two USB Type-A inputs plus a Type-C connector.

Omars AC Power Bank

If you are going on a trip with a lot of gear that requires an AC outlet, but there are no power ports where you’re going, this power bank may be the answer. It’s one of the biggest power banks out there, can power virtually any laptop on the planet and is packed with technology to prevent it from breaking down.

The Omars AC power bank is about the size of a chunky book and weighs about a pound.

Timekettle WT2 Plus AI translator

The Timekettle is billed as the first AI-powered single-app earphone translator and is capable of translating 36 languages and 84 accents in near real time. The necessary accompanying app and internet connectivity are required to get it working.

Timekettle comes with a pair of earphones (one per person) that comes in a charger box that splits into two, two extra pairs of ear buds and a micro USB cable for charging the case. Each half of the case is magnetically attached to the other one.

The earphones are comparatively comfortable to wear. The one with the dash on top of the indicator is for your guest. Three translation modes are available. All you need to do is put on the earpiece and speak normally.

The WT2 Plus performs well if you have a good internet connection, not a lot of background noise and keep phrases short to minimize mistakes.

The manufacturer says that the earphones will last for five hours on a single charge and the charging case extends that to 15 hours. You can buy the WT2 Plus directly from Amazon.

Logitech Zone Wireless Headphones

The Zone Wireless headphones from Logitech were made for the office. They have a pull-out microphone boom, active noise cancellation and the ability to move between a smartphone and a computer effortlessly.

The headphones are light enough to be carried around and come with a soft plastic pouch. Other accessories include a USB-A dongle and a 51-inch long charging USB cable.

Logitech guarantees up to 14 hours of talk time with active noise cancellation on and 15 hours without. They also claim up to a 98-foot wireless range but that number partly depends on the receiving unit.

Headset controls have been kept to a minimum and they are all on the right-hand side. A white status LED light shows when the headset is connected or connecting to a device. A simple interface lets you adjust the volume, play and pause music, start and end calls and activate or mute the microphone.

The Zone wireless headphones also has active noise cancellation and wireless Bluetooth pairing. It also supports wireless Qi charging or through a micro USB port and comes with a handy mobile companion app that allows you to control certain headset functions such as mute and side tone, which lets you hear your own voice during a conversation.

Dell U3219Q 32-inch 4K Monitor

As more people move to a multi-screen environment, having a great display is becoming more and more important. Dell’s newest 4K monitor is 32-inches big with a bright and vibrant Ultra HD display that’s perfect for workplace application like video-conferencing and data modelling.

The monitor is fairly bulky but can be adjusted to fit a number of different space allowances. Thanks to a moveable height option, it shouldn’t be a strain on the eyes or neck.

The U3219Q features useful connectivity options. Besides HDMI, USB and DP ports, there is also a USB-C, which means it can easily connect to an existing laptop or PC. The monitor comes with a USB-C and HDMI cable, so set-up is quick and easy.