Top 10 tech trends for the next decade

I had an argument with a friend the other day. I believe that technology is critical to the success of a business, but he disagrees. Technology, he said, is overrated, and many successful businesses are quite “behind the times” from a technology standpoint.

You know what? He’s right...to a certain extent.

You don't have to keep up with technology in the business world. Keep the fax machine. Keep manually entering your data. Offer 24-hour turnaround. You can run a business and avoid technology.

But...at what cost?


I see three main problems for those who lag behind the tech curve.  They:

• Operate inefficiently: Orders that could be taken online, are taken over the phone and entered manually into multiple systems.
• Waste time: Processes that could be automated with the right software are done manually.
• Look bad to potential customers: If all your competitors offer online ordering and you still take orders over the phone, who do you think people will buy from?

You don’t have to keep up with technology to run a successful business, but those who do hold advantages over those who don’t. As we begin a new decade, technology will continue to advance and offer advantages to those who keep up.

I covered a few tech trends in a previous post entitled “4 tech trends to watch in 2010”, which I believe is worth a read. If you want to learn about a few trends beyond this year, here’s an interesting article that applies to the next decade.

What are your predictions?