These small business tech trends can save you money this year

A new year has begun, but have you made any updates to your small business’ technology? If not, you may be costing your company money. After all, technology can help your employees function more efficiently. That, in turn, can make your business more profitable in 2014. SmallBusinessComputing.com recently took a look at some of the more interesting business-technology trends for 2014. It’s worth studying these to learn how you can boost your business’s productivity levels this year.

The cloud matters

One sure bet? According to SmallBusinessComputing, the time is right for small businesses to invest in cloud computing. Using the cloud, businesses can store their software, programs and data externally rather than on their computers’ hard drives. This can make businesses more efficient; they won’t have to panic every time their network crashes.

Big data

You may think that big data is only for big companies. You would be wrong, though. SmallBusinessComputing predicts that 2014 might be the year in which small business owners finally take advantage of big data analytics to better understand their customers and their needs. This is something your small business should consider, too. If you know more about your customers, you can provide them better service, something that will, in the long term, boost your business’ bottom line.

The end of desktops?

Small business owners have to save as much money as possible. One way? It’s time to get rid of the desktop computer. Most employees these days can do their job on smaller mobile devices or laptops. There’s no reason for small businesses to place a desktop computer on the desk of every employee. SmallBusinessComputing.com predicts that more businesses will adopt this strategy in 2014.