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All businesses look for ways to do their work more effectively and efficiently. Increasingly, the way to achieve that is by embracing the latest developments technology has to offer.
So, what is the next batch of innovations on their way – and how can they help businesses?
Biometrics
The days of the humble password might be numbered. The unwieldy way in which employees are encouraged to memorise and use passwords for all the business software they use could be overtaken by biometrics. For employees this means access to systems and software will be gained using fingerprints or iris scans – things they could scarcely forget. Employers will hope that developments in this field will result in a system that is more secure and harder to hack.
Safety Cameras
Many businesses rely on goods being transported to customers. Sat-nav systems have already helped drivers to avoid traffic hotspots and pick the most efficient routes. The next stage will be to use technology to eliminate some of the safety risk involved in driving large vehicles such as lorries and vans. Investing in things such as this camera system from Brigade can give a driver a full 360-degree view around their vehicle – taking away the dangerous blind spot and making manoeuvres easier to perform.
Hololens
There’s been a lot of focus on the forthcoming arrival of Windows 10 but while businesses will be able to embrace this new operating system, the more exciting release might be the Hololens, which follows soon afterwards. This will see users don a futuristic visor and project holographic images onto the world around them. For businesses that offer product support this could be transformative. People will be able to call up an expert and show them their view by donning the headset. The expert will be able to annotate the very view in front of the user’s eyes – with notes, diagrams and instructions. This should make the process quicker and avoid the need for site visits to fix problems.
3D printers
3D printers are becoming increasingly more affordable and businesses will soon be able to use these to download and ‘print’ new items for the workplace. This will make the delivery and deployment of tools much simpler and could make it easier for employees to get access to the right resources. These printers also offer up opportunities for businesses to be able to market their goods and services.
Wearables
Wearable technology has been increasing in popularity over the past few years but the arrival of the Apple Watch has taken this on to the next level. This makes the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) trend even more prevalent in the workplace. For employees this means they’re able to pick up notifications and calendar updates on the go – while employers can embrace a way that makes communicating with staff easier than ever.
In these five ways alone we can see how technology is looking to add speed, convenience, safety and efficiency in a whole host of ways that businesses can benefit from. The pace of change means it won’t be long before all of these are fairly commonplace.