As small business owners, we know you’re wearing a lot of hats, and keeping up with current technology trends may not be on the top of your priority list; the good news is that it is on ours.
We’ve narrowed down a variety of current technology trends to four key areas: cybersecurity, performance, connectivity, and mobility. When looking for technology to make your business more productive, seamless, and efficient, evaluating how a device addresses these four considerations can help you get started.
Trend No. 1: Hardware-Based Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity is the most important topic small business owners should have in mind. Small businesses need to be aware of more than the different types of threats—malware, phishing, and ransomware, for example. They also need to know the best security practices to help protect their business against these threats.
Beyond educating your employees to recognize scams and suspicious links, as well as how to improve the strength of their passwords, one of the best ways to stay secure is with hardware-based security. Hardware-based security helps to shrink the attack surface—the total number of possible ways to gain access to your systems and devices—severely limiting hackers’ options for potential attacks.
Modern cyberattacks continue to evade software-only security methods. Combating these threats requires a more comprehensive defense that secures devices at the application, software, firmware, and hardware levels.
Business-grade PCs come with security technologies rooted in hardware. These laptops help protect against firmware attacks that are invisible to traditional antivirus solutions and go beyond traditional threat detection that can be bypassed by modern threats. An end-to-end security solution, rooted in hardware, helps keep PCs secure across all levels to protect your employees and your data.
Trend No. 2: Performance
Another area for consideration is the performance capability of your business PCs. Employees can lose up to one workday each year just waiting for a computer that’s three years or older to boot up and are also likely to be less productive on older PCs.1
Equipping your employees with high-performance, responsive business-grade PCs can help to improve productivity, efficiency, and collaboration. For example, the latest Intel vPro® Essentials platform is optimized for business productivity and multitasking, dynamically adjusting processing based on how each PC is actually used, so small businesses can get fast system performance with fewer interruptions from complex applications.
Investing in PCs built with the demands and needs of business in mind can also help to improve employee satisfaction and retention. A 2021 study by McKinsey found that “people who report having a positive employee experience … are eight times more likely to want to stay with the company.”2
Trend No. 3: Rapid Connectivity
Wi-Fi and cable technologies are the root of modern collaboration and connectivity; without them, the digital workplace wouldn’t exist. Powerful wireless technologies like Wi-Fi 6E (Gig+) and devices that support Thunderbolt™ technology that delivers high-speed data transfers, cable management, and flexibility for external port access can significantly boost your business productivity.
When your employees experience rapid connectivity—whether it’s Wi-Fi 6E, 4G LTE, 5G, or through Thunderbolt™ technology—they can access resources more efficiently to better support your customers and clients and collaborate more effectively, maximizing your overall team impact.
Trend No. 4: Mobility and Remote Workforce
Remote and hybrid work is now a common workplace model as an outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic. Employees enjoying the flexibility that comes with the remote/hybrid workplace will need mobile-friendly, durable, and performant PCs as well as secure and reliable remote access. Business-grade PCs based on the Intel vPro® Essentials platform come with built-in hardware-based security features and remote management capabilities. This means that your IT consultant or services provider can centrally manage your growing PC fleet in a secure manner—providing patches, upgrades, and troubleshooting, whether your team is on-site or remote. Your team can stay productive no matter where they’re working when supported by built-in remote PC management and security features.
Intel vPro® Essentials for Small Businesses
As a small business owner, it is crucial that your technology addresses each of these trends in a cost-effective manner and embraces the agility needed to stay ahead. Today’s tech trends are playing a pivotal role in raising the bar for small business computing. Customers and employees now expect businesses and employers to provide reliable security, real-time responsiveness, and powerful performance. By investing in business-grade PCs equipped with the Intel vPro® Essentials platform, you help empower your business with the computing foundation to proactively respond to these trends, thereby improving employee experiences.
Our platform is built specifically for growing small businesses that are looking for the power, flexibility, and built-in security they need, whether they have a dedicated IT team or not.