4 technology trends for 2010

Technology holds the greatest opportunities for businesses wishing to save money or increase productivity. However, technology’s rapid rate of advancement often leaves companies struggling to catch up. If you want to get a leg up on the competition in 2010, pay attention to these 4 tech trends:

1. Real-time: The real-time trend is not new, but this is the year real-time hits it big. We're now seeing real-time searches, real-time collaboration, real-time data, etc… No one wants to wait anymore. If your company can’t deliver real-time data over the web to your customers, executives, or sales team, you will fall behind.
2. Mobility: As phones become more powerful and faster mobile networks roll out across America, an increased amount of work will take place outside the office. Mobility and real-time data go hand-in-hand. Not only must you provide your salespeople with real-time data, it must be accessible via a mobile device from anywhere. The speed of business will increase in 2010, driven by real-time data and increased mobility. This brings me to the 3rd trend:
3. Security: As mobility increases, security becomes difficult. Not only must the IT department worry about viruses, they must also prepare for the inevitable theft/loss of a smartphone or company laptop. Mobile-accessible web applications are obviously the safest solution, as they don’t require that any data be stored on the phone itself. However, if you must store sensitive data on a company smartphone, make sure you have disaster plans set up in the event of theft or loss.
4. Doing more with less: IT departments will be called upon to do more with less in 2010, even more so than in 2009. Two factors will drive this trend: First, more companies are looking to their IT departments for ways to increase productivity and save money. Second, the economy won’t automatically snap back to the success of a few years ago, so hiring will be slow. IT leaders will need to find ways for their staff to be more efficient and productive.

Want to see even more tech trends for 2010? Check out this article on Techrepublic.com entitled, "5 tech trends to watch in 2010". As always, feel free to add your two cents in the comment section.