Technology has certainly come a long way over the past two decades, which for some of us doesn’t seem that long ago. Over the years it has played a major role in our lives. It works for us to keep data stored securely, to process information efficiently, and to communicate more conveniently.

Each year I wonder what new technology will be created to make my working day supposedly easier, and how will that affect what I already do? So what are the predictions for technology this year?

Brian Hopkins, an Enterprise Architect Professional for Forrester Research – an American research company, believes that we have moved out of a phase where technology helped us achieve new levels of productivity and are now moving to a phase where technology will shape who we are – and he’s right.

Technological advances are impacting us in everything we do. Think about it, everywhere you go these days people are checking emails on their smart phones; tablets and laptops are an everyday accessory – you can pretty much do work anywhere, anytime - self service is becoming more prevalent and you can shop 24/7 online. Even schools are embracing these new gadgets with 21st century technology appearing on a number of school stationery lists. You can read more of Brian’s article here.

And for the smaller business, there are certainly some trends that will help define your future. A recent online article on the Entrepreneur website by Jonathan Blum talks about how iCloud is moving out of the personal space and is helping businesses share information with each other no matter where they are, and the addition of mobile apps allow you to print documents anywhere. You can even manage those last minute pick ups with the installation of fleet management tools and ‘Gumby screens’ gives a whole new meaning on flexibility. I guess in reality the future possibilities really are endless.

So what technological changes are you planning on introducing this year and how will these help your business succeed?