Ferrum Technology Services Blog

One of the biggest problems with emerging technologies is the fact that it can be very hard to tell if they will actually provide any benefit to a business without taking the risk of implementing it. This leaves many businesses in a catch-22 of sorts: they lose money by not implementing a new solution, or they lose money because the new solution wasn’t a good fit.

Blockchain has been an especially hot topic as of late, especially with the recent meteoric rise in the value of most cryptocurrencies. With all the focus directed to Bitcoin, it is easy to forget that the blockchain has other uses - uses that are geared toward increased cybersecurity, transparency, and privacy.

Small business owners need to find creative ways to build a strong, productive operation. The best way to create the kind of productivity required to successfully grow a business is to ensure that everything works in concert. Today, we will look at a four technologies that can go a long way toward helping any small business grow their organizational productivity.

You’ve heard of 3G and 4G technology for your mobile devices, but have you ever stopped to consider what these phrases actually mean? Since the world is on the cusp of a 5G introduction, it’s time to take a look at what these wireless technologies do, and how 5G can further expand on its formula.

In 2018 there are certain technologies most businesses have begun to embrace. Cloud computing, high-end network security, collaboration technologies, and some others have begun to be utilized by businesses, large and small, to build a more productive enterprise. Apart from these technologies, there are a few that every business person should know, if only to understand what is possible; and what is on the horizon for their company.

The International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is designed to showcase new technology and products to the world, with a focus on industry professionals and companies that want to showcase their latest projects. The show, which was held in Las Vegas in January, saw the introduction of many consumer products, but the ones that showed off new virtual and augmented reality capabilities made a considerable impact on attendees.

Like it or not, millennials will make up a large part of your workforce in the near future. In your own business, you may have noticed quite the difference in the way that millennials approach work compared to other members of your staff. One of the biggest differences that you might have noticed is that millennials have no problem job-hopping. According to a recent study, one of the biggest reasons why millennials leave a company is due to outdated technology.

If we asked you to tell us how many hours a day you actually work, what would the figure look like? Chances are that you as a business owner put in a little more than the average worker, but would it total over the requisite eight hours? A recent study shows that while eight hours of work 200 years ago was considered revolutionary, it might be a bit on the long side to expect good work from good employees.

When it comes to procuring technology for your business, you’re often presented with two choices: save money by going with technology that’s been around for a while, or spend a little more to get the latest and greatest on the market. It’s tempting to go with the cheaper option, but, in the long run, it generally pays to go with the latest solutions, thanks to an IT concept known as “future proofing.”

Robotics is a technology that’s influencing many different types of industries. Robots help surgeons with surgery, work in manufacturing environments, and so much more. Now, the application of robotics has given birth to one of the most important technological advances to the modern world: pizza-delivering robots.

It’s been a few years since the mobile industry embraced the fourth generation of wireless communication. Tabbed “4G”, it has been the accepted communications platform for devices since 2010. While it’s important to understand where we are, it’s equally important, especially regarding technology, to see where we’re headed. Due to the immense demand these networks have on 4G, is there a chance that we will see an upgrade of this system soon? Analysts say it’s not likely.

To maximize your business' communicative abilities, you need to produce content. Content is found almost everywhere and it is an essential variable in every form of written communication. Innovators don’t miss out on the importance of content, and have developed content-writing software. Yet, this poses an important question: can a robot truly imitate prose written by a human?

The world was vastly different in 1965. The smooth, compact smartphones and laptops of today were nonexistent, and civilization was on the verge of experiencing a revolution of technological growth and advancement. This is all thanks to Moore’s law, which paved the way toward making technology smaller and more easily accessible for both end users and businesses.

Everyone understands that technology is constantly changing. However, acceptance of this reality doesn’t diminish the fact that change, even if it’s foreseeable, can be difficult to adapt to. It’s for this reason why your business needs to have a long-term technology replacement plan.

Touchscreen devices have been all the rage for around a decade and have brought a degree of mobility to business that was unheard of only a short time ago. At first it was the smartphone, followed by the 10-inch tablet, and then the smaller tablets; which are designed for media consumption. This recent trend, which provides a superior user experience, has integrated touch screen usability into the expectations of end users. Recently, some of the largest and most recognizable personal computer manufacturers have begun making hybrid laptop computers that have all the capabilities of a powerful laptop, but come equipped with a touchscreen display. Can these all-in-one devices be just what your business needs to get to the next level?

The people of 1967 were no different than we are today - obsessed with the future and the new technology it might yield. It was a magical time when technology was developing so rapidly that people were placing wild assumptions of what the technology of the 2000s would be like. How accurate were the predictions of the scientific community of the 1960s? Let's look at this 1967 video from CBS's The 21st Century!

Wearable technology is all the rage these days. For users that are waiting patiently for the yet-to-be-released Google Glass, there are plenty of other options on the market that have moved beyond the proof of concept to grace retail store shelves. Several of the top mobile device manufacturers have released, or will release in 2014, products designed to seamlessly integrate into a user's daily routine. With Glass on the horizon and the newly announced Android Wear, Google is taking its future tech to your body.

We marvel at how easy it is to stream media over the Internet and turn our PC or mobile device into an entertainment terminal to the world's vast entertainment library. Having every movie at our fingertips is a new experience, but the technology of instant media is over 100 years old, and its development is a testimony to human innovation.

With the introduction of Microsoft's Kinect and Apple's iPhone 5s, biometrics has exploded! Both of these tools are being utilized for security purposes to lock others out of your device and accounts. Biometrics for these devices are also being employed to grant you access to your technology. As biometrics becomes more popular, you are sure to see it used for your business in the not too distant future.

There's a lot of buzz floating around about "The death of the PC." This is due to the growing popularity of mobile devices and the sluggish sales of PCs. Will the PC ever die, or are we just in a time of transition? For your business, it's all a matter of perspective and your computing needs.