A prediction for small business technology trends in 2019 was that software unification was going to go global. At present, if you do work for yourself, or if you own a small business, the chances are that you use a variety of different apps. Connecting software is one way of solving the problem of too many different systems.
Is that even a problem for you? What is useful at present is outsourcing to boutique companies like Mustard IT, an IT support service, which includes infrastructure development, cloud computing, and general IT support. It’s also a service that is affordable, thus accessible.
Brick and mortar businesses joining the 21st century cloud computing world find that outsourcing to a company that offers bespoke IT services an easier way of transitioning into newer ways of doing business
If you don’t use services like the afore-mentioned, you may be using a variety of different apps to operate your business. This is where having software unification could come in handy.
What software unification is
Though not in its infancy, software unification is not as mainstream as many people would like it to be. It is a very difficult thing to create an effective and efficient software unification system, and though many have tried, no one has yet succeeded in creating a product that is affordable, universal, and easily accessible
According to BusinessNewsDaily, the lack of software unification for businesses today is predicted to change in 2019. After digging deeper into its sources, it seems there is little in evidence to substantiate this prediction.
What is software unification? It would be a platform that would sync or unify your data across all systems. The thing is that it seems out of reach for most at the moment. An online search reveals a few tailor-made services that function to unify your content using universal building blocks, and such systems. Rather than unify, they work above your systems, like a top layer, drawing what information you need on call. This example is not quite the same as unification, which would be a code that can cross language barriers to retrieve or send any data across and between platforms.
What can benefit businesses from software unification is a saving on time, and an improvement in efficiency. Having all your software made compatible with your other software, inputting data in just one should allow the data change to be seen and accessed by all.
No longer would you have old records or out of date information lurking in different corners of your business.
Why it is hard to do
Apparently, it is difficult to create software unification in practice, though in theory it can be done. Look at the Unity project for instance, whose only downfall might have been the lack of accessibility leading to low adoption rates of the unified package they offered.
When it can be done, it comes at great expense, which is why larger enterprises can be seen to use elements of unification in their systems, or have been able to afford to have a universal software package tailor-made.
For small business owners, having Google Drive or another cloud storage cabinet, a communication app for teams, and other useful apps means going out of one and into another with separate log ins for all.
At some point, when coding allows for different languages to be mutually intelligible, thus allowing for software unification, we’ll have them all inter-connected.
Why it is in the news
Companies exist that can manage your software systems for you. At present, this is a lucrative and growing industry, especially with remote working becoming viable due to improved communication networks around the world in the information era.
As the competition for market dominance is as fierce as ever, any platform that could provide ease of communications combined with the saving of time in data inputting would give business owners more time to improve their service or product, with less time spent on running the administrative side of their business.
As predictions go, this one may not have weight at present to become an actual product this year that is affordable to everyone.
For years, researchers have been exploring all options in creating a language that could be understood by all other languages, making unification possible. Currently, as stated, large enterprise level software does exist and is in use, but this has yet to reach smaller businesses operating today.
If software unification predictions are examples of fake news, their purpose may not be to deceive you, but rather to direct you to the products that already exist, such as the IT services that manage a small businesses’ concerns for them.
If this prediction turns out to be correct, it’s because a system that is affordable will be available for the majority of small business owners sooner rather than later.
