Successful companies are often in the business of innovation. They may not jump at every shiny new toy that crosses their radar (although some certainly do!), but successful business leaders are always on the lookout for a new tool that will improve productivity and streamline workflow.

A common theme that runs through much of the literature pertaining to business and innovation and improved productivity is that we, as business leaders, need to capitalise on the advantages that ever-evolving technology provide us. There are so many groundbreaking technologies all around us that could potentially transform the way we do business.

One upon a time, you would lug a ‘lap-top’ computer around with you on your travels. You would need a padded case in case you dropped it, and space to prop it onto a train or plane table. Then you would begin the search for Wi-Fi. Sounds familiar? Today, we expect to be able to use our phones instead.

The world just keeps moving faster and faster – and we still find ourselves running out of patience. We complain when our microwaves take too long to heat up our lunch, forgetting that our parents took 45 minutes or more to bake a potato in an oven.

Cloud computing and related technologies are becoming increasingly attractive to smaller businesses, and it’s not hard to see why. This trend is simply following in the footsteps of all of the technological advances of the last few decades – designed to, among other things, help smaller businesses compete more effectively with large corporations. And it works.

When we think back to our college days, there are a few memories that make most of us cringe. That early morning exam after a late night of partying.… that extra-long reading assignment over Easter break that you knew you weren’t going to read… These memories, and others, come readily to mind, but there is one memory that typically rears its head only when we’re reminded of it: the dreaded group project.

Most of us would really rather not have to have big meetings. However, they are sometimes hard to avoid when you need to discuss something critical, or you need to make an important decision. While meeting together is sometimes essential, it can also be an expensive and time-consuming business.

Remember when people who worked from home were called ‘telecommuters’? That word itself conjures images of a spare bedroom converted into an office: a giant desk holding a fancy desktop computer, a credenza with an all-in-one printer/scanner/fax, an office phone with a dedicated landline, a filing cabinet full of papers that – once placed in their proper folders – were never seen again.

It’s no secret that two heads are better than one, and with collaboration software you can put the best minds in your business together. Online collaboration software helps you maximise efficiency with instant communication and a variety of streamlined processes.

The cloud has been one of the biggest trends in computing. Drop sites and cloud sites seem to be popping up everywhere. Phones, computers, and systems at work appear to offer endless options. Unfortunately, while cloud computing for file sharing and collaboration has many advantages, some sites many have more drawbacks than you think.