Long gone are the days when it was cool for powerful people to quip that they didn't even know how to turn on a computer. Whether you know it or not, your business depends on computer technology. Only a fool would intentionally and proudly remain ignorant about the technologies that drives their business.
You’re not a fool. So make sure you become familiar with the latest technologies. You don’t have to pick up a degree in computer science. Just become familiar and conversant enough to be able to make meaningful decisions related to critical tech. Here are a few areas you will want to brush up on:
MFT
No, that is not referring to the substance found in snack foods that everybody got bent out of shape over way back in the 80s. MFT stands for Managed File Transfer.
Consider this scenario: You write up a contract that you will be sending to another company with whom you hope to partner. In that contract, you have a great deal of sensitive information that would be quite valuable to competitors. How are you going to send it? Email? Over your ISP? Ha! You might as well send it to me and let me publish it for you.
You are going to need to look at products that specifically deal with this. The site for Cleo managed file transfer reminds you that:
When selecting an MFT solution, it's important to find one that keeps your data secure at rest and in transit and can evolve and adapt to changes in your business and your partner relationships. The right solution should be able to grow with your company and offer the flexibility to consolidate multiple legacy solutions, saving you time and money while improving control and compliance.
You don’t need a CS degree to know that you need a secure way of transferring critical and sensitive information. It is worth taking the time to review your own company’s file transfer policies.
Mobile Provisioning
Why is your company still using Blackberrys? I’m not judging. I’m sure it’s a fine choice. But why? There may have been very good reasons for it ten years ago. But do those reasons apply today? Is there really a good reason you and your employees can’t use their Android phones and iPhones on your network? It would help if you knew something about smartphone provisioning.
There was a time when Blackberry was the default choice for security, especially as it related to messaging. But the most recent report tells a different story. BBM, and even Blackberry Protected rank lower than iMessage and FaceTime, both of which were rated quite high.
If you still think of Blackberry as the only enterprise solution, think again. Good Technology tells a different story. Where Blackberry is not a part of the equation, iOS accounts for almost 70% of enterprise activations. This is a new world. It seems businesses can run on iOS and Android without leaking their secrets all over the interwebs. I’m not suggesting that you change your company’s mobile policies. But you should have a working knowledge of what they are, and how they might need to be updated.
Smart Watches
Smart watches make the list, not because they are particularly useful at the moment, but because they might become so in the near future. It is a technology category with a lot of potential. It also has the virtue of being nascent. So you haven’t yet missed out on it.
PSU Technology Group makes a strong business case for the use of smart watches. Here is a small portion of that case:
For the corporate world, Smartwatches could help Dual-Factor Authentication, operating as trusted devices that allow access or log on to systems to replace passwords. Additionally, smartwatches could enable easy workflow approvals of purchasing, contracts or expense reports, speeding up the process.
What is important is that you don’t fall behind with regard to important technologies that either drive your business to new heights, or give your competitors the edge while you miss out.