Looks at technology trends and business models that can be used by small business to gain competitiveness

1. Creating value through innovation and technology
Riding the technology wave to competitiveness
Technology Trends and
Development

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Why is technology important
for any small business?

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The big change to entrepreneurship over the
past 25 years has been technology. Now,
more than ever, anybody can create their
own business and be up and running in the
time it takes to register a website
- Richard Branson

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Technology in a Small
Business
• Increase efficiency
• Competitive advantage
• Tap into new markets
• Grow business networks
• Collaboration with others
• Brand expansion
• Offer services online
• Workplace flexibility

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Being Innovation

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Disruptive New
Technologies

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Internet of Things

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Internet of Things
• Internet provides missing link between devices
• Convergence of infrastructure, services,
applications and governance tools
• Fusion between the physical and virtual world
• Increased access and strategic use of data
• Government and large enterprises will offer
public service

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Cloud Computing

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Cloud Computing
• IT infrastructure online
• Subscription-based or pay-per-use service
• Software as Service (SaaS)
• Delivers a single application through the browser to
thousands of customers
• Utility computing
• Offer storage and virtual servers that IT can access on
demand

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Cloud Computing
• Web services in the cloud
• Application programming interface (API) exploit
functionality between applications over the Internet
• Platform as a Service
• development environments to build your own applications
that your users access via the Internet
• MSP (managed service providers)
• Application exposed to IT rather than to end-users, such as
a virus scanning service for e-mail or backups

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Cloud Computing
• Solutions for Small Business:
• CRM – Salesforce, SugarCRM, and Highrise
• Office – MS Office 365, Google Apps, Zoho Office Suite
• ERP – OpenERP
• Accounting - Quickbooks
• Infrastructure - Amazon, Afrihost, Server Alliance
• Storage – iCloud, dropbox, ADrive

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Mobile Devices

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“84% of people worldwide can’t go a day without
using a mobile device. We look at our phones
150 times a day” Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs

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Mobile Devices
• Mobile phones, tablet computers, PDAs, media
players
• WI-FI, Bluetooth and GPS capabilities
• Growing usage of mobile devices for services
(banking)
• Internet sync app and data
• Device streaming (no storage)
• Continuity across devices
• TV connects to mainstream computing

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Mobile Apps

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Mobile Apps
• You can find an app for almost everything
• Most used apps are communication, news,
social media, location, searching and banking
• Growth of mobile laboratories (mLab,
Blackberry, Google, Vodacom)
• Driving the usage of internet (increase data
revenues)
• Ease access to information (QR codes)

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Social Media

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Social Media
• Changed the landscape of communication
• Brought a new dimension to brand expansion
• Better presence within your markets
• Free access but costly resources
• Growing specialisation on social media
• Move towards niche social media
• Facebook will become a gateway to other social
media platform

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Social Media
• Tips
• Develop a strategy
• Establish credibility
• Don’t do hard sales
• Keep your presence (regular posting and
participating in conversations)
• Connect with people, including competition
• Close sales through messaging and evidence

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The Web

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The Web
• Easy and almost free to create a website
(wozaonline.co.za)
• Spread your information across platforms
• More service offering on website with rising e-
commerce
• Easy integration across devices (HTML5)
• Easy, faster and accurate searching

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The Web
• Browsers will act like personal assistants (learn your
web behaviour)
• Consolidate dynamic data
• Voice recognition
• High quality imaging
• Advertainment

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New Business Models

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New Business Models
• Leveraging platforms like Facebook, etc. for low cost, viral
customer acquisition
• App Stores for low cost customer acquisition
• Freemium
• Pay-per-usage
• Virtual Goods
• CrowdSourcing
• Group buying
• Marketplaces to match buyers and sellers

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Adopting Technology

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Selecting the Right
Technology
• Strategy
• Value for Money
• Reliability and Uptime
• Customer Service
• Technical Support
• Features
• Ease of Use

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Challenges
• Security over mobile devices
• Managing content over multiple platforms
• Managing various apps
• Cost of connectivity with device
synchronisation
• Cost of adoption

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The End
Tshepo Thlaku
M: 074 117 2762
T: 012 771 2322
E: tshepo@pulego.co.za