Modern technology is extremely different to how it was decades ago (even a few years ago – think of how much the iPhone has changed since it came out in 2007). Every day, updates, patches, and new versions of the products and software are released that keep businesses running smoothly.

In this article, we’ll be talking about the evolution of technology, as well as signposting you towards some of the newest products and services which can make your business processes synergised, effective and up-to-date.

Although more archaic than you might be used to, the most widely known instance of technological progression came in the form of the printing press in 1436. It saved time and resources – instead of painstakingly transcribing a book by hand, sometimes multiple times, printed letters could be arranged once, covered in ink and used as many times as there were empty pages! Printing presses changed the world, leading to more and more innovations.

Of course, there were much earlier iterations of technology – the stone tools of cavepeople, sundials and the pocket watches of the Victorians just a few varied examples. But today, we’re talking about digital technology – the stuff used in almost every single job you can think of; interactive whiteboards in classrooms, machinery for production, vehicles, and so much more.

As we said earlier, there have been many changes in the technology of yesteryear, guided by the context of the times in which they took place. It’s really quite fascinating, but we would probably be here until the invention of flying cars if we spoke about it in detail. The most recent development at the time of writing is ChatGPT, which has been taking the world by storm due to its conversational and problem-solving abilities.

This goes hand-in-hand with the still-emerging field of artificial intelligence, which refers to smart computer programs with the ability to learn from the data they’ve been provided with. AI has a whole host of uses; from personalised news feeds on social media sites based on likes and interactions to smart personal assistants like Siri or Cortana, which millions of people use every day.

Data pooling, or second-company data, as it is sometimes known, can improve the quality of a company’s collected data and give more of an insight into their customer demographics, ideals and interests. This will in turn give them an idea of how to more accurately market to them. Y42 can assist with pooled data, offering high stability with a low maintenance cost.

Ever heard of ‘big data’? This is complex data that may be too difficult to be processed by traditional data processing methods. Software like that of Qualtrics XM, which also boasts a personalised demo, or even IBM’s data lake solutions, offer a helping hand when it comes to processing big data.

About 50% of the developing world’s population has access to digital technology – this metric was achieved in just two decades, and the number continues to grow. Technology now does more than ever, with it even providing an income (through eCommerce) for many businesses, through the use of sites like Weebly or other eCommerce platforms.

Many other pieces of tech have been created to make online shopping even easier for the customer. QR codes to offer more information or exclusive discounts and, in particular, mobile card terminals like the ones offered by Square, are now the widely accepted norm for a lot of consumers looking to make a purchase.

Automation has also been brought into being through technology – now we can use programs to carry out automated tasks and resources can be redirected into more useful areas, instead of asking an employee to trawl through pages and pages of data. Davis AI is an automation tool that can also be used to detect anomalies, determine the root cause and visualise a topology for digital transformation on business sites.

We don’t have a crystal ball, a time-traveller or any other way of predicting the future – sorry. But learning from the past means we can have a good guess – we think that no matter what, technology will only improve as it continues to be used for business. If you’re not on board yet, you really should be!

Want to learn more? The Lincoln Be Smarter programme offers academic consultancy if your business is interested in adopting any digital technology. Get in touch today to digitalise your business.