Tech Trajectory: What Were the Major Developments of Q1?

As we rapidly progress through 2022, the world of tech continues to develop at lightning pace. With new concepts such as the ‘Metaverse’ and the ‘Internet of Things’ (IoT) changing the digital landscape, it’s essential for businesses to remain up-to-date with the ideas and releases that will benefit their cyber infrastructure.

Today we highlight some of the tech developments that have been making waves throughout the first few months of this year, so you can develop your IT strategy accordingly!

Introducing the IoT

For those who’re new to the concept, the Internet of Things (or IoT) refers to the many millions of physical devices that are now connected to the internet, all collecting and sharing data around the globe. Thanks to the rapid tech developments of the past decades, it’s now possible to connect any variety of objects to the IoT; devices that would be otherwise nontechnical can now be transformed into digitally intelligent devices.

The IoT is hugely important for businesses as it facilitates the continuous optimisation of business processes, even beneficially impacting upon employee engagement and performance. There are many ways you can leverage IoT within your business – whether you utilise it to improve the interconnectedness of your remote workforce, or use it to improve client communications, the IoT can undoubtably expedite your business processes.

On a basic level, you may even be interacting with IoT connected devices more than you realise! Simple devices such as lightbulbs that can be remotely activated with the help of a smartphone are classified as IoT, as are motion sensor activated devices.

Moving towards the Metaverse

Numerous companies have moved towards engaging with the Metaverse – most notably Facebook (now rebranded as Meta), and Microsoft. In basic terms, the Metaverse is a 3D version of the Internet, a virtual landscape running parallel to the physical world. For businesses in particular, the Metaverse can provide a shared virtual space that is interactive, immersive and hyper-realistic.

Microsoft have capitalised on this collaborative online world in innovative ways, with their major Metaverse offering manifesting in ‘Mesh’ for Teams. Mesh provides a new mixed-reality space designed for collaborative and immersive online meetings, consisting of pre-built spaces for a variety of business and social functions. Within the Mesh world, Microsoft allows Teams users to adopt avatars to tackle the previously seen impersonality of online functions.

Building the Metaverse into your company can be beneficial for numerous reasons; the interactive and social nature of Mesh for Teams can improve both employee morale and internal communications. Building personalised digital spaces allows you to maintain your company’s identity, whilst expanding your reach and scope. At Fitzrovia IT we have a number of Microsoft Gold certified experts on hand, who can help you adopt platforms such as MS Teams.

Internal Hubsites

While potentially less novel than the Metaverse, internal hubsites have recently been growing in popularity, with businesses looking to centralise their employee communications. With greater autonomy and design power, businesses can create a collaborative and centralised online point of contact, used to manage internal communications and resources.

This is best done with regards to solutions such as MS Sharepoint, which can be linked to a central personalised platform available to employees. Here at Fitzrovia IT, we implement a personalised hubsite to simplify our business processes, and keep our team connected.

Modernising your business

As always, it’s important to stick with reliable technologies whilst moving towards a modernised workplace – understanding current buzzwords and new releases is essential in growing your IT department and strengthening your cyber infrastructure. New releases are almost always created with ease of use and development in mind, providing innovative solutions to problems you may not have even realised were present.

If you’re looking to develop your IT strategy and begin adopting novel technologies such as ‘Mesh’ for Teams, get in touch with our expert team to understand what options are available to your business.