2015 SMB Technology Trends

1. Top 10 SMB
Technology Trends
For 2015!
© SMB Group, 2015

2. 1. Cloud is the new IT infrastructure for SMBs.
2. SMB IT staff and channel partners evolve into cloud managers.
3. SMBs recalibrate IT strategy and spending for a mobile world.
4. The Internet of Things (IoT) comes into focus.
5. SMBs reinvent marketing for the new buyer journey.
6. KPIs trump ROI and TCO as the new “show me” metric.
7. Analytics gets SMB-friendly with “bring your own data” and freemium
offerings.
8. It’s time to reimagine work.
9. SMBs place a premium on protection.
10.SMBs opt for an incremental, integrated solutions approach.
SMB Group Top 10 SMB
Technology Trends for 2015

3. #1. Cloud is the new IT
infrastructure for SMBs
SMBs say that
technology solutions
help them improve
business outcomes or run
business better.
74% 92%
are now using at
least one cloud
business solution.
87%
are using at least
one cloud
infrastructure
solution.
© SMB Group, 2015

4. What this means for SMBs
• More SMBs will take a cloud-first approach
to drive product, service and business
innovation.
• Most Small Businesses will stick with a public
cloud approach due to limited internal IT
resources.
• Medium businesses will increasingly
embrace a hybrid approach to mitigate
privacy and security concerns.
© SMB Group, 2015

5. #2. SMB IT staff and channel
partners evolve into cloud
managers
As the cloud becomes mainstream, support needs
evolve from implementation and break/fix support
to more proactive and strategic management.
© SMB Group, 2015

6. What this means for SMBs
• SMBs will look for staff and partners that can
help to select best-fit business solutions to
achieve business goals. Internal IT staff and
channel partners.
• Staff and partners will need stronger
integration expertise to help SMBs get more
value from their technology investments.
• Channel partners will need to cultivate
consultative selling and adjust staffing skill
sets accordingly.
© SMB Group, 2015

7. #3. SMBs recalibrate IT strategy
and spending for a mobile world
of SMBs say that mobile
solutions are critical to
their business.
86%
SMBs indicate that
mobile applications
complement
traditional business
applications.
SMBs say mobile
applications will
replace some
traditional solutions
entirely.
© SMB Group, 2015

8. What this means for SMBs
• SMB median spending on mobile
technology and solutions as a percentage
of total technology spending rose from 12%
in 2013 to 16% in 2014.
• Mobile will continue to account for a
growing share of SMB technology budgets.
• Planned increased investments in mobile
apps and more diverse mobile devices will
necessitate a spike in mobile management
adoption.
© SMB Group, 2015

9. #4. The Internet of Things (IoT)
comes into focus
Explosive growth for IoT is forecast, as use cases
for intelligent and connected devices become
more visible. © SMB Group, 2015

10. What this means for SMBs
• Compelling IoT use-case scenarios will
emerge, sparking SMB adoption.
• IoT will help reduce RFID costs, making it
more practical and appealing.
• Beacons, which are indoor positioning
systems that communicate directly with
smart phones via Bluetooth, will also provide
compelling SMB use cases.
• IoT provides a clear return-on-investment,
and is mostly invisible to end users, negating
user adoption issues.
© SMB Group, 2015

11. #5. SMBs reinvent marketing
for the new buyer journey
of SMBs purchased/upgraded
a marketing automation
solution in the past 24 months.
of SMBs plan to
purchase/upgrade a marketing
automation solution in the next
12 months.
© SMB Group, 2015

12. What this means for SMBs
• The buyer journey is evolving rapidly and
includes many more touch points than ever
before.
• SMBs must transform their marketing
approach to connect with more prospects
and customers, and to provide them with the
right information at the right time in the
buying journey.
• More SMBs will move from point solutions to
an integrated marketing approach.
© SMB Group, 2015

13. #6. KPIs trump ROI and TCO as
the new “show me” metric
Tangible, specific KPI metrics will be more credible
to SMBs than more general return-on- investment
(ROI) and total cost of ownership (TCO) analysis.
© SMB Group, 2015

14. What this means for SMBs
• Key performance indicators (KPIs) can
provide SMBs with specific, actionable
insights on business performance and what
areas need improvement.
• With so many vendors fighting for SMB
dollars, SMBs will increasingly seek out those
that help them understand what KPIs are
most relevant for their business and industry,
and those that provide credible, specific
metrics about how their solutions affect
these KPIs.
© SMB Group, 2015

15. #7. Analytics gets SMB-friendly with
“bring your own data” and
freemium offerings
Solutions designed for people with little or no
data preparation and analytics skills will
make analytics more consumable for SMBs.
© SMB Group, 2015

16. What this means for SMBs
Dramatic advances in analytics tools will spur SMB interest and adoption.
SMB
Adoption
Cloud
computing
Better user
interfaces
Visualization
tools
Improved
algorithms
Natural
language
capabilities
Freemium
offerings
Predictive
capabilities
© SMB Group, 2015

17. #8. It’s time to reimagine work
A changing mix of resources, behavior,
technologies, attitudes and requirements
will lead more SMBs to seek better, easier
and more affordable ways to access,
evaluate, buy and get productive with
technology solutions.
#futureofwork
#newwaytowork #reimaginework
© SMB Group, 2015

18. What this means for SMBs
• Mobile, social, cloud, analytics, IoT and other
technology advances are taking hold in SMBs.
• Demographic shifts are reshaping the makeup of SMB
workers and expectations of what technology should
do and how it should do it.
• Easy-to-use consumer apps and devices have raised
the bar for B2B user experience
• SMBs will seek better, easier and more affordable
ways to access, evaluate, buy and get productive
with technology solutions.
• Solutions that offer free trials, clear messaging,
delightful user experience, superior support and
vibrant user communities win. © SMB Group, 2015

19. #9. SMBs place a premium
on protection
Greater reliance on technology and the need to
manage data wherever it resides increases
demand for better security, control and
management capabilities. © SMB Group, 2015

20. What this means for SMBs
• SMB use of comprehensive solutions to
protect and manage data is still far from the
norm.
• But as awareness of the financial, brand and
legal ramifications of data breaches at large
companies rises, SMB will place a premium
on more comprehensive solutions
• SMBs will seek vendors that offer proactive
guidance, deeper expertise, stronger
service-level agreements (SLAs) and 24/7
support for an always-on world.
© SMB Group, 2015

21. #10. SMBs opt for an incremental,
integrated solutions approach
79%
SMBs have partially integrated
some applications.
SMBs rely on manual Excel file
uploads or custom code for
integration.
© SMB Group, 2015

22. What this means for SMBs?
SMBs need a LEGO-like integration approach and will
look for:
• Open ecosystems, embedded integration
capabilities and stronger APIs.
• Toolsets designed to help non-technical users to
configure integrations without coding if they
understand business integration workflows and
requirements.
• Built-in collaboration and social communities to
help users crowd source information, find experts
and share and/or sell integrations.
© SMB Group, 2015

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© SMB Group, 2015

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© SMB Group, 2015

25. About SMB Group
SMB Group focuses exclusively on researching
and analysing the highly fragmented “SMB
market”—which is composed of many smaller,
more discrete markets. Within the SMB market,
SMB Group’s areas of focus include: Emerging
Technologies, Cloud Computing, Managed
Services, Business and Marketing Applications,
Collaboration and Social Media Solutions, IT
Infrastructure Management and Services, and
Green IT.
Contact: Lisa Lincoln
lisa.lincoln70@smb-gr.com
(508) 395-6760
© SMB Group, 2015