Technology Trends for Small to Medium Businesses

The New Media Consortium (NMC) has a new report out called the Horizon Report: 2009 Economic Development Edition that is a short, consise and very imformative read. The report explores the landscape of emerging technologies as it pertains to small to medium-sized businesses which account for a large part of the private-sector employment and revenue growth in our economy.

For the report, the NMC Advisory Board reviewed key trends, examining current articles, papers, interviews, and published research for the report and discovered some interesting patterns that are affecting business and industry. The five trends listed (in priority order) here as those the board believes will have a significant impact on small to medium businesses over the next five years.

1. Employees increasingly expect to be able to work flexible hours and to work from locations other than an office building.
2. Modern consumers expect that the content in which they are interested will be available in a variety of different forms.
3. Gaming is an increasingly universal phenomenon among those entering the workforce.
4. Increasing globalization continues to affect the way we work, collaborate, and communicate.
5. Technology is increasingly a means for empowering employees, a method for communication and socializing, and a ubiquitous, transparent part of their lives.

You can read/download the full report linked here.