IT gurus are rarely satisfied. There’s always another challenge to conquer and another problem to solve. When the best and the brightest in the IT business constantly strive to outdo themselves, you benefit. Technological advancements in artificial intelligence make it possible for small businesses to compete and grow in the digital world. Take a look at four technology trends that will benefit your business this year.
Office 365 Message Encryption
Sending encrypted emails is often more difficult than it should be. Either you receive error messages when you attempt to send the email, or the recipient can’t read the email because he or she doesn’t have the right software. Office 365 Message Encryption makes sending secure messages much easier by:
- Providing options for automatic encryption of emails or manual encryption
- Using the recipients email address as the key, rather than a certificate
- Integrating with your current email system
- Eliminating complicated steps to send the email (users don’t have to do anything differently when sending emails).
- Offering strong encryption protocols that protect your sensitive information when it leaves your gateway
- Allowing easy message retrieval. (Recipients sign in with a Microsoft account or use a one-time password to access the encrypted content.)
Mesh App and Service Architecture
Gartner listed mesh app and service architecture (MASA) in its round up of important tech trends for 2017. The mesh consists of everything needed to run digital systems, from devices to users to processes. Changes to the mesh require architecture that can adapt seamlessly. MASA supports multiple users and multiple devices with containers, microservices, cloud computing, application programming interfaces and serverless computing. The technology’s scalable solutions ensure that your systems can grow with your company.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence is used in everything from smart thermostats that learn your heating preferences to digital, voice-activated personal assistants. Artificial intelligence apps can be a boon to small businesses that don’t have large staff teams. These apps can help you:
- Schedule meetings
- Answer customer questions and respond to complaints
- Predict equipment failures
- Monitor controls and send alerts when equipment malfunctions
- Write sales letters and emails
- Identify strong sales leads
- Predict customer behavior based on past interactions
- Offer suggestions for resolving customer problems
- Create customized contracts
- Write ads that draw the best candidates for jobs
Adaptive Security Architecture
Hackers are particularly talented at thwarting the systems developers and system architects devise to repel them. Finding new ways to improve and enhance security will be a priority in 2017 and beyond. Rather than consider security measures as an afterthought, they’ll be including during the earliest stages of development. Analyzing user and entity behavior will help companies identify and prevent attacks before they can occur.
Multi-layered security, once only used for large corporations, is now essential for small businesses too. It’s easier to protect your data when you use a combination of security processes, such as firewalls, anti-virus and anti-spyware packages, network intrusion detection, content filtering, multi-factor authentication, disc encryption and security tokens.
When you’re busy running your small business, chances are you don’t have much time to devote to keeping up with the latest technology trends. Luckily, we do. At SOHO Solutions, we offer infrastructure solutions, support, cloud and server migrations, disaster recovery and other services that will help your company succeed. Contact us today to find out how we can help your small business thrive in the digital age.
