Technology for Business: An Optimist’s Perspective

Jul 6, 2012, Written by Sue Miley

We want it all-inclusive.  The one stop shop. The combo meal. The phone that takes pictures and does your laundry.

Technology has come so far in making things convenient and easier to use.

Really it has.

Technology’s Advancement Is Like A Fairy Tale

I am showing my age, but “once upon a time” when I started with computers in college we were writing code and then running to a room with this big huge machine that ate punch cards to run your program.

Around 1990 I began working at a company as the first financial analyst they ever had and became the recipient of the company’s very first PC ever.  Literally, I had the first personal computer in the company.

I was using Lotus at the time, and after I set up my spreadsheet and input all of the formulas, there was a button to push to “calculate”.  I would push the button and go to lunch, hoping it might be finished calculating by the time I returned.

I am still a tech nut and always want the newest, most updated technology.  Yes, I want the phone that has the camera.  I want the iPad that has 4g.  I want the newest Mac Book Pro with the fastest processor and most pixels.

Managing Technology To Meet Our Business Needs

Over the years I began to collect my favorite programs.  I moved from Lotus to Excel.  Adopted the Office Product Suite….added Quicken for personal finance…used software provided by my camera to edit and touch up.  I had different software for different uses.

And I am truly amazed at how much we can get from software and how user friendly it is to purchase almost any application and begin using it immediately.  We may not optimize it without a little research and/or training, but we can usually get started at will.

Tech Options Today Are Taken For Granted

Today with the advent of Ap stores, downloadable products, and online cloud computing solutions the options are incredible.

The barrier for many small business people seems to still be the desire to have one program, app or online solution do it all.  We don’t want to have to go into one app for project management, another for a storage file, and then actually have to use an email service to send email.

The programmers continue to strive for solutions that meet the all-inclusive needs; yet get rewarded on their blog by the complaint of the one feature their product DOESN’T do.

I get frustrated FOR the developers.

Are you kidding me?

These programs do so, so, so much more than we ever had even…..5 years ago…..much less 20 years ago.

Technology Advances Exponentially…..My Perspective is Timeless

Although the technology is exponentially changed, my perspective hasn’t changed over the 25 years I have been using technology for my business needs.  My perspective then was to research and find the best programs to meet the different business needs.  I would buy the programs, get the discs in the mail, and install.  Over time I had 7 or 8  major “go to” programs to use for business and what I could actually do was still severely limited.

Now I can find an app to do just about anything I need.  I can’t find one app to do it all.  But I have created a collection of apps, programs, and online solutions to fully manage my business.

Advice to the Frustrated Technology User

My advice to the frustrated business person who feels they have too many choices and just wish they had one program to DO IT ALL:

  • Research and find the best solution for whatever your task at hand.
  • Create a dashboard on your desk top with each of the key programs, apps or bookmarks.
  • And use them interchangeably just like you once used all of the different programs on your hard drive.
  • Then, thank God for the improvements, user-friendliness, and low cost options that the market has provided to date.
  • And look forward to the continued advancement in technology as each year produces more progress than centuries and decades before us.

Here is my list of the best business apps for iPad to get you started on one device!

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Sue Miley

Sue Miley MBA, MA, LPC helps small business owners build successful businesses on a foundation of Christian values. After 20 years in business, and 10 years as a Christian counselor, Sue uses a combination of faith, business and psychology to help clients in business and in life.

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