Disruptive technologies and how they need not be

For those outside the IT sphere, the advanced technology powering our world may seem disruptive enough as it is. Start talking about disruptive technology and expect to watch people’s eyes glaze over. Although the term is there to make a ‘disruptive’ point, a name other than ‘disruptive technology’ might have been better at selling the many positive implications.

Email represented a huge leap forward in technology and would have once been considered very disruptive to existing practices, as it completely changed the way we all communicated with each other. The majority of people adjusted swiftly and those that avoided the change soon realised they were being left behind. Cell phones, laptops, cloud computing, the internet, GPS, social media, the internal combustion engine, the cross-bow, the wheel… many great innovations were actually disruptive technologies because they came along and really changed the way we do things.

It's easy to dismiss new technology when it does not suit current operations and processes. It's easy to think that new technology should only be adopted once it's more established. But for a business to do this means waiting to see competitors benefit from industry innovation before using it themselves. Business and technological evolution moves too fast for that and playing catch up is not an effective strategy.

Plus, disruptive technology doesn't have to be troublesome.

Businesses should actively try to see technological advances as positive; after short-term disruption and initial costs, change can enable more effective operations. Often, the first to see the best results are the companies that adopt new technologies before the masses, because they are first to benefit from the advantages and drive how they then evolve.

So, what will be the next disruptive thing? New technology is being created all the time and will at some point make a change to your own business. Could it be advanced robotics, the next generation of energy storage devices, embedded sensors or wearable technology? Perhaps it'll be driverless cars, renewable energy, 3D printing or affordable virtual reality? How about online currencies, cyber warfare or big (or even bigger) data? And let's not forget one thing almost all businesses are going to be affected by very soon: the Internet of Things. 

The list above is as daunting as it is exciting, as is the fact that it's not easy to predict which ones will mature the quickest or have the most impact on your business. The key is to be open and build a firm relationship with the right IT partners that can help guide your business to embrace the right technologies at the right time. They should be passionate about your business and unbiased about the products and technologies on offer. They should be able to help you develop a bespoke, flexible solution to the challenges which will change your applications and processes, embracing new technology so that, in the long term, these changes have a positive rather than negatively disruptive impact on your business.

If you are looking for an IT partner who will help guide you towards a bespoke solution for your business, let me know.