Business Technology: Then and Now
The world of business technology and IT services is a fast-paced, ever-evolving menagerie of innovation and advancement. In the past five decades alone, technology has advanced more than the previous five centuries combined. Taking advantage of the constant advances we see around us often requires specialized IT consulting just to keep up.
Shaping the Modern World
Technological advances have reshaped society by changing how people interact with one another and making more information available to the populace. As a result, they have also influenced the face of business and economy.
Some of the innovations which contributed to the shaping of the business world as we know it:
- electric-powered trains
- barbed wire
- motion picture film
- steam energy
- credit cards
- typewriters
Each changed the way people worked and impacted their daily lives. The culmination of technological advances would eventually lead to a massive integration of technology to not only the business world, but to all facets of society.
Paving the Way for Business Technology
The evolution of business technology came about from the marriage of separate advancements in the fields of electricity and communication. Electric utilities were developed in the late 1800s, allowing residential homes to have electricity. Further evolutions in energy supply made it possible for industries to use electricity to perform and improve daily business tasks.
Communication was transformed by the invention of the telegraph and the telephone, thus largely affecting the business world in a myriad of ways. Telephones became a crucial tool in offices because it closed the gap between consumers and business. Communication within the economy during the 19th century was done through technologies like the telegraph and telephone. Now, we send messages through photonics and fiber optics.
The age of computers would eventually allow messages to be sent and received almost instantaneously by allowing everything to communicate with everything through the massive advancement of the Internet.
Evolution to the Digital World
Information technology has expanded exponentially in the last few decades. Computers in the 70s were mainframes, used as tools to aid in very specific industries such as flight control. The 80s saw the rise of the home PC, and the 90s gave way to client-based servers, which allowed for the technological tidal wave of advancement during the 2000s after the Internet began to skyrocket into what it is today.
Creating a Social Connection
Technology has been shaping human interactions for centuries. The exponential evolution of computers has completely revolutionized and transformed how businesses interact with consumers. Prior to the innovations above, consumers were limited to doing business with those within their local geography, or those to whom they had access by wire. This arrangement placed the customer at the mercy of the seller. As technology allowed for communication to improve, consumers could afford to be more choosy about with whom they did business. Eventually, customer service moved to the forefront of client-business communications.
Bring Your Business Technology Into the 21st Century
Is your office enjoying the technological benefits of today? Give us a call, and we’ll show you what technology you can keep from yesterday, what advancements you can benefit from today, and where you can take your business tomorrow.
