It’s no secret that technology has transformed how businesses operate and the way we work. But the pandemic has undoubtedly forced late adopters, particularly SMBs and mid-sized businesses to embrace technology and virtualise their business models as a necessity to survive.
This shift means that some key tech trends are accelerating at a fast pace and are showing no time of slowing down in 2022. Indeed, virtualisation of both businesses and society in general are driving a digital transformation.
A promising take out from this global digital growth is that FujiFilm, as an innovation driven organisation are consistently working on solutions and products to help service the changing needs of businesses. It is clear that growth of SMBs now hinges on automating aspects of the workplace.
We’ve identified some key trends for SMBs that are likely to emerge and evolve in 2022:
Digitising Paperwork
Stacks of paper-based documents and cumbersome manual filing processes are out. By digitising documents and developing a digital document workflow, efficiency and productivity improve greatly.
Considering the shift to hybrid work, this not only ensures that search and retrieval is a whole lot simpler for employees but it also frees up the requirement for physical space to house documents.
Many FujiFilm devices have the capability to scan documents and house the data in CRM software without the need for manual data entry.
Cloud Solutions
A study commissioned by Google, conducted by Deloitte found that “SMBs using cloud technology to overcome their growth challenges grow 26% faster and deliver 21% higher gross profits” [1]. Cloud technology has certainly enabled businesses to scale and grow faster.
While cloud usage is indeed on the rise, it is clear that traditional SMB’s may lack the knowledge and resources required to build cloud infrastructure.
FujiFilm’s solution to seamless cloud management is our Cloud Service Hub. Which enables businesses to consolidate their existing cloud systems into a single interface to reduce confusion, gain efficiencies and transform the user experience.
More than just a service to scan, store and share data, Cloud Service Hub can help businesses avoid the potential complications of cloud integration so they can elevate team performance and reap the full benefits of working in the cloud. Cloud Service Hub is supported in select FujiFilm devices.
Workflow Technologies
There has been an increase in SMBs utilising workflow software to streamline processes. Creating a digital workflow essentially aims to digitise and automate as many steps in a work process as a possible and eliminate paper documents. Such examples include on boarding new employees, invoice management, procurement management, holiday and leave requests to name a few.
By automating processes SMBs can not only reduces costs, but also facilitate working seamlessly with remote work and teams. By eliminating labour and time intensive tasks, SMBs can get back to working on the things that really matter to the business’ bottom line.
Secure Hardware and Software
The rise in cybersecurity threats throughout the pandemic have been well documented. According to the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC), there has been a 13% increase in the amount of cybercrimes reported compared to the last financial year[2].
Given the remote state of the workforce, SMBs are more vulnerable to cybersecurity threats therefore upgrading current security and software has been a key priority for these businesses. When it comes to security, it’s also important to consider, your print and scan infrastructure which can leave SMBs vulnerable if overlooked.
Authentication is just one FujiFilm device solution that allows you to track confidential documents and get to the source of any leaks. This security solution ensures that only authorised users have the ability to access certain print jobs.
Big Data
According to a study by Forbes, “53% of all companies are adopting big data analytics” [3]. Thanks to recent advancements in technology, SMBs can now compete for customers against enterprise businesses by harnessing data.
Using data correctly allows organisations to understand how their business is performing, identify and solve business problems and increase revenue. While some business owners become complacent and often place data in the ‘too hard’ basket, it can actually be a lot simpler to use data than one might think. For example, some tools such as Google Analytics, Facebook Business, email databases, CRM’s and your company website house valuable information such as visitor traffic, level of engagement, shares, open rates and even the gender and age of your audience broken down into segments.
If the data reveals key customer behaviour or trends, then your business needs to capitalise on these insights to drive campaigns. Businesses that implement plans informed by key data sources could “see sales increase by an average of 15%”[4] compared to those that do not.
