Innovative Thinking

#FutureProof Your Small Business: Staying Ahead of the Technology Curve

Future-proofing your small business starts with the cloud, but it doesn’t end there. There are many ways to innovate, and emerging technologies can accelerate and deepen our understanding of things like customer behavior, streamlined and smarter transactions, and tracking your business goals. In this blog series, we’ll cover a few ways to gain a competitive

Written by Intuit Blog Team
Published Jul 17, 2018 - [Updated Nov 14, 2022]
2 min read

In this blog series, we’ll cover a few ways to gain a competitive advantage in your industry by bringing the physical and digital worlds together using technology.

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Technology is reshaping how everything gets done – from how we communicate, to how we shop or drive. It’s radically changed buyer and seller dynamics. Today’s customers expect companies to anticipate their needs and expectations, and won’t hesitate to take their business elsewhere if their they aren’t met. In fact, technology makes it easier than ever for them to do just that.

The implication is clear: embrace technology to your company’s advantage, or fall behind.

Most small businesses (fewer than 20 employees) understand this: 67% agree or strongly agree that using new technology effectively is key to their company’s survival and growth. They are investing in technology to help support a wide spectrum of business goals – from improving employee productivity, to supporting changing regulatory requirements.

But it’s tough for any business to keep up with the firehose of new technology. For small businesses, which typically lack dedicated IT staff, this challenge can be overwhelming.

The good news is, if you’re running your core business applications with cloud-based software, you’ll be able to take advantage of new technologies in a more consumable way.

The Cloud is the On-Ramp to Small Business Innovation

Cloud applications are the new normal for small businesses. 92% already use at least one cloud application, and advantages including flexibility, cost, ease of use, and speedy deployment will continue to fuel increased adoption.

But the cloud is also quickly becoming the technology backbone that will enable small businesses to take advantage of new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), voice, Internet of Things (IoT), and blockchain.

Leading cloud application providers are supercharging many of the applications you already use with new technologies to give you the new capabilities you need, the way you need them. Even simple features of Google Docs are powered by complex technologies whose sole purpose is to make your experience as seamless, simple, and efficient as possible. You get the benefits of new technology minus the heavy lifting, enabling you to more easily and effectively take advantage of the technology you need to grow your business.