• Cloud computing, which means you can keep and share data “in the cloud,” rather than in your office. It opens the door to smaller, cheaper computers or just really smart phones.
• Faster, cheaper technology gives small businesses access to online customers, a rapidly growing and very large market.
• The number of consumers and businesses with high-speed Internet connections is growing, a boon for online sales.
• A paradigm shift in commerce is underway, according to some who point out that eBay and Amazon.com have developed very successful business models that incorporate third-party, small businesses. When you buy a book on Amazon, it may be from a small, independent bookseller in the mid-west that you’d never have accessed otherwise.
• Social networking is no longer considered a fad; it’s a marketing tool that you are expected to use, and an invaluable source of ideas and support.
• More web-based business means greater demand for graphic and web-design, a benefit to those small businesses, as well as for those who analyze the effectiveness of online marketing and the people who provide tech support and training.
  

Now all that has to happen is that all these programs need to communicate with each other flawlessly, stop crashing and work at the speed of light!

What are you going to upgrade this year? How will the upgrade benefit your business? What technology scares you the most?