If you’re a business owner wearing many hats and with a lot on your mind, you’re possibly not entirely up to date with the lingo in your IT department. The problem is that risks and threats are on the rise in the business landscape, and it doesn’t really matter if you’re a medium or small business; cybercriminals see you as a prime target. You can probably rattle off a list of the most recent cyberthreats, but are you familiar with the latest buzzwords?
5 latest tech buzzwords to know
Brushing up on the latest tech buzzwords is one way to get familiar with what people are talking about in the industry, and we’re here to help. Below are a few of the buzzwords we think that all businesses owners in South Africa should know.
1. Digital Transformation
Transformation seems to be happening everywhere in the world, the digital space included!
Digital transformation refers to enterprises adopting technology to improve their business processes. One example of digital transformation is using Zoom to connect with employees and clients; another is shifting from in-office storage to encrypted cloud backup for sensitive business data.
2. The Internet of Behaviours
It seems like only yesterday that we were familiarising ourselves with the Internet of Things (IoT), and now there’s an Internet of Behaviours (IoB) too.
Yes, you heard right. Data is used to make the IoB work, and this is where information on people is used to gain insight into consumer behaviours. With IoB, individual user actions are monitored (your mobile apps and internet browsers are probably monitoring you) to gather information on consumer profiles. An example of this in action is a mobile health app that monitors your sleeping patterns, exercise frequency, heart rate, and social behaviours – sound familiar?
3. Extended Reality
Extended reality (XR) draws on the best aspects of artificial reality and virtual reality for face-to-face interaction.
XR can be used to provide services, perform testing, and conduct experiments from a secure location anywhere in the world. An example of this in action is where optometrists can conduct eye exams virtually, without being in the same room as the patient.
4. 5G & Enhanced Connectivity
5G is faster and better connectivity to the internet which means seamless Netflix streaming, yes, but also better business services. Remember when uploading your encrypted data to the cloud would take a few hours? Now it can take just a few minutes.
5. As-a-Service
Ever seen the abbreviation SaaS? Well, that stands for Software as a Service and it’s making waves in today’s tech world. As-a-service is good for businesses as it provides all businesses with access to cloud-based and on-demand innovations by leveraging the likes of AI (artificial intelligence).
Big names that invest in and make use of As-a-Service include Amazon, Microsoft and Zoom.
we speak your tech buzzwords’ language
Now that you have a few of the tech industry buzzwords in your vocab, it’s time to start paying closer attention to what’s happening in your business’ IT or cybersecurity department. Learn to speak the language, or your business could fall behind the times!