Opinion

One of the biggest trends from just the past few years can easily be summed up through the letters BYOD. Bring Your Own Device policies have been all the rage among companies looking to increase employee productivity while also saving on costs, and it’s a trend that doesn’t appear to be slowing down. According to Gartner, about half of companies will have some sort of BYOD program in place by the year 2017. But all is not sunshine and rainbows for the relatively popular BYOD movement.

Learning Light, the UK-based independent e-learning industry market analyst, has produced its own thorough analysis of learning management systems (LMSs) identifying its top performers.

Predicting future changes in the world of technology can be a tricky endeavour. New products and innovations are revealed so rapidly that even experts may be caught unprepared. Even so, that doesn't mean looking into the future is without merit as it helps businesses and industries plan ahead. One of the most important aspects of any organization’s operations is the use of storage, particularly as more of the world becomes driven by data. Current ways of tackling storage challenges are already proving inadequate, necessitating new technologies and strategies for companies both large and small.

When it comes to tools that can help businesses reach out to more and more people, customer relationship management (CRM) systems are some of the most important currently being used. In a nutshell, CRM systems help companies keep track of customer information, with automation and organization of data being crucial elements of the software. As technology has evolved, so have CRM systems. Every year brings about new advances, and businesses have needed to adapt to keep up with all the changes. Predicting what’s to come can help organizations prepare in advance. As companies look to the future, they’ll notice several trends that they can be ready for well ahead of the rest of the pack.

A few months ago, I had a problem. After eight years of non-stop writing, I found myself exhausted of all enthusiasm to blog. Let me tell you, it's a sad day in Web City when an advocate for content management systems has no real desire to author new content. I was also questioning in this age of "always on" social media whether the traditional blog had lost value not only to me but my readers. If content is no longer king, why should I spend so much effort creating new content? So as summer approached, I decided to take a break from blogging.

Companies have plenty of reasons to make bring your own device (BYOD) policies a part of their businesses. One of the main attractions, and a primary reason for adopting BYOD in the first place, is how using a personal device makes employees more productive both in the workplace and at home. Another consequence of using BYOD is that employees are more likely to be satisfied with their jobs. But with these benefits also comes the concern over BYOD cost. BYOD’s most vocal proponents say the policy ends up saving businesses money in the long run, but its critics maintain that bring your own device is ultimately costly.

Cloud computing, on a personal or business level, hasn’t been around for long. 2010 and 2011 were banner years for the implementation of cloud. There was some movement in the industry before that, but 2010 and especially 2011 were when things really started to take off.

If there’s one thing we as marketers have to admit we’re guilty of at times, it’s the use of buzzwords. Especially in the CMS world, acronyms (WCM, CXM, DXM) abound, and the latest terminology can feel like nothing more than the current fad. It’s true, the industry has a terminology overload, but it’s for this reason especially that, when they come around, game-changing concepts need to be explored and identified. Content-as-a-Service, or CaaS, is one such game-changer.

So your business has finally taken the crucial step of selecting a Content Management System. Perhaps it’s your first CMS, or perhaps you’re ready for the switch from a solution that just isn’t cutting it anymore. You want to get the most value you can out of your solution. You’re probably making lists of expectations, or products to compare. As you go through your selection process, don’t get overly wrapped up in processes only to lose sight of the bigger picture. Take a step back and make sure to avoid these pitfalls.