I remember the days when business life was simple, everything was manual and computers didn’t exist. In reality it was not that long ago. History indicates that in 1951 the first general purpose computer for businesses came into play. Since that time computers have evolved to be in every part of everyday life.
IT used to be the glass house where nerds would write and test complicated programs based on perceived requirements provided by the business. Programming and system/data testing took months to complete. Data was captured through manual input by data staff. Computer rooms were filled with cabinets of equipment processing the captured data. Manual reports were run daily and paper was provided to the business for analysis and tracking. Computer systems and applications were expensive and required large support teams. Most small business didn’t fit into this model; the beginning of the business computing age.
The world has evolved; there is more computing power in your phone than in a room full of mainframe computers.
This is technology at its finest and we have become information junkies, addicted to instant access to data. Our search histories are tracked and analyzed, and this information becomes a gold mine for companies looking to provide value through targeted ads; information is tailored and delivered to individual users. Companies can select applications to meet their specific business needs.
As a business, we all talk about the system applications we use or the social media posts we do to promote our services or products. In reality, your business is not about what applications are used to track data, or the social media platforms you use in your day-to-day activities. The real value is in the data collected and how this data is used to achieve your companies’ goals and aspirations.
The important point is DATA = KNOWLEDGE. Knowledge about promoting your business, products, services, understanding your clientele and demographics with the overall goal to grow your revenues.
There are numerous software applications that can be used to support different business processes within your company. The key is to remember IT is about processes, people, data collection and analysis.
The knowledge obtained from your data analysis provides the following benefits:
– Social media is a powerful tool to promote your business and it empowers you to make informed value decisions on your product or provides the ability to identify who and what your customers want. Know your cliental and the demographics
– Get results through the identification of your strengths or weakness in order to develop strategies to promote or update your business plans
– Invest your funds or resources where you can get the biggest bang for your dollar
– Track results to measure where you are and to set or adjust your performance goals
Technology continues to evolve as proven through the changes in how we conduct our business, build our customer relationship ensuring we are meeting or exceeding their expectations and quality standards. The technology world is speeding ahead and everything has to be faster, cheaper and better quality. Success will be measured by the value provided in this fast-paced world.
Kevin Hynes ASE
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