The Changing World of Small Business: Six Predictions
2016: expected to be a “year ripe with opportunity, yet also teeming with new obstacles to overcome. From public policies and regulation to harnessing the newest technologies, the responses run the gamut of everything small business owners should be aware of.” (Business News Daily)
Business News Daily released an article early this year titled “50 Small Business Trends and Predictions for 2016.” It’s worth reading the entire article. Meanwhile, here are six highlights. Are you experiencing any of these yet?
Prediction #1
The workforce is changing (no prediction needed there!), making hiring more difficult. This will be especially true, says Ira S. Wolfe, president, Success Performance Solutions, for skilled jobs. The consequences for small business owners and managers? Longer wait times when filling positions and increased hiring costs due to higher recruiting costs and candidates wanting higher wages.
Wolfe predicts that small business owners and managers will ultimately need to use technological solutions to streamline recruiting and other labor-intensive HR tasks.
Prediction #2 (and 3, 4 and 5!)
Four different experts focused on the increasing need for cybersecurity in 2016 and beyond, each with a somewhat different take on the subject. Here are overviews:
- Maureen Dorney, Paradigm Counsel partner, says that businesses must pay attention to and allocate resources for data security because of privacy law and data protection developments; plus, businesses must provide transparent communications about their practices to customers.
- Erik Gustavson, Bitium CTO and co-founder expects to see even more momentum towards cloud-based services as successful startups experience lightning-fast growth without physical storefronts or even physical presence. Because of this, data breaches will have significant impact.
- Tara Duveanu, Nollar founder, points to Australia where criminals are targeting small businesses with cyberattacks, and Duveanu expects to see this increase in the United States and Europe.
- Jason Polancich, Surfwatch Labs founder and chief, also warns about cybercrime, including “hacking campaigns for hire, vulnerabilities and general exploits for sale, individual stalking or doxing, and other investigation for hire, spear-phishing campaigns and stolen IPs for sale.”
Prediction #6
Finally, Ran Oelgiesser, the CMO of vCita, points out how, even though 60 percent (or more) of small businesses understand that capitalizing on mobile is essential, many have not yet invested the time to realize the benefits. Once they do, he predicts, busy owners and managers can run much of their businesses through a mobile device, accessed from wherever they are.
Common Thread: IT Solutions Needed
As you can see from the predictions listed above, having a quality IT plan in place will be crucial for your small business in 2016 and beyond. Let us be your IT business partner so you can focus on growing your business and satisfying customers. We have decades of experience managing IT for a large physician provider, designing robust infrastructure to efficiently solve challenges.
Your business is unique, not cookie cutter, so you need IT solutions that are customized. When you contact us, we will observe you at work so we can understand your workflow, and discuss your business goals. We will then design solutions to solve your problems and help you to achieve your goals. Contact us online today or call 800-518-8230.