Technology's Focus is Shifting

Milwaukee WI

25 October, 2021

11:52 AM

Description

My name is Jacob Polzin and I'm President of TBG Technologies, an IT support company since 2004. The reason TBG Technologies exists is that we believe small companies are ignored. We are talking about the really small businesses. Those with ten or fewer employees usually get the short end of the stick when it comes to technology support. They have the same goals as big corporations. They have the same technology issues. But they have a tough time getting good, reliable help. Until recently, small businesses focused their attention on desktop technology. Computers had to be regularly updated or replaced with systems having more storage, faster processors and more powerful graphics. All sorts of technology firms were built banking on a steady flow of upgrades and replacements to keep their cash flow strong. Every few years, new hardware was made available that promised greater productivity (translation: more sales and greater profits). In a way, this is just like the "planned obsolescence" that ran the auto industry through the 60's and well into the 80's. Each new year brought out the fastest and greatest car that you absolutely had to have. And your old car? Well, that was just "last year's model." Cars were designed to last just a few years before falling apart. Today, "tech heads" eagerly anticipate the latest operating systems with the newest interface, graphics, and fastest speed. Never mind that most users never need any of that power – they hardly use the new features of the last version. But slowly, under the radar, a change in focus is taking place. Cloud services, in an unexpected twist, have seriously reduced the need for the biggest, fastest and latest computer systems. All that processing power in your desktop computer that had to be upgraded every few years is now up in "The Cloud." What about your desktop computer? All it needs is enough power to connect to "The Cloud" and run the programs remotely. Companies are still forcing users to get the latest hardware - witness Microsoft's Windows 11 which will not even run on a large percentage of computers already in the hands of users. But many users will skip this and rightly so. 2021 is predicted to show a negative growth rate for PC sales for the first time in years. That rate is not expected to be positive until 2025, according to the Statista Technology Market estimate. What all of this means is that the focus of activity has now shifted to the services and infrastructure that surround the desktop/laptop. If you are a user of cloud services like Microsoft 365, GSuite, or other applications, you can put your money into having the fastest internet connection possible. Get a second (or third) monitor so you can have multiple cloud applications running. All of this will operate very well with a computer that is two, three or even four years old since the computer is acting mainly as a terminal to the real program which is running in a data center somewhere. Internet delivered by cable has dropped in price while it has increased in performance. Many areas now have fiber-delivered internet available with speeds unheard of just a few years ago. And perhaps the biggest innovation is fully wireless internet delivered through a 5G connection. No cable and no fiber at all. This is all being driven by the shift of processing power into "The Cloud" and the use of simple apps on smartphones and tablets. Unless you are a gamer or a graphics artist, your computer does not have to be the fastest, most expensive on the block. Jacob Polzin is the President of TBG Technologies, located at 11300 W. Greenfield Avenue, West Allis, Wis. 53214. Jake can be reached at [email protected]. www.tbgtechnologies.com We Make Technology Behave! Toomas Mitt for Jacob Polzin, President