Hear from Mark Brown on latest industry trends

Most businesses today use technology tools for most or all of their processes—which means most businesses simply can’t function without fast, reliable internet. While choosing the right internet service provider is an essential piece of the puzzle, there are also steps companies can take in-house to ensure their team members have uninterrupted access to the connection they need to do their work.

Fortunately, there are several strategies—both tech-focused and surprisingly simple—that can help companies ensure dependable in-office internet service and optimal upload and download speeds. Below, 20 members of Forbes Technology Council discuss ways businesses can maximize the quality of their internet service.

To make a real and lasting positive impact, businesses need to not only look for ways in which technology can streamline processes and reduce resource usage, but also ensure their tech solutions are as energy-efficient and sustainable as possible. Below, 20 members of Forbes Technology Council discuss some smart practices to help businesses and tech teams “go green.”

With heavy workloads and essential responsibilities in the modern workplace, it’s important for an IT team to be a cooperative, well-oiled machine. If bad habits and practices creep into the day-to-day culture, it can throw a wrench in the works, leading to serious issues that can impact the whole business.

So what are the early (and not so early) warning signs that an IT team is developing a problematic culture? Below, 20 members of Forbes Technology Council, including BSI's Mark Brown, discuss signs that a toxic culture has taken root in an IT team and share how a leader can turn it around.

Tech leaders must develop and monitor effective metrics to ensure that what their teams are producing is helping to achieve the overall business strategy. Below, 17 members of Forbes Technology Council discuss some of the metrics they use to evaluate the success of a tech project or initiative and its impact on their organizations.

Ushering in advancements in speed, latency, capacity and reliability, 5G is revolutionizing everything from marketing and manufacturing to medicine and the metaverse. Below, 15 members of Forbes Technology Council, including BSI's Mark Brown, discuss ways the rise of 5G is changing both business processes and everyday living.

When it comes to digital transformation, smart early strategies that get the team engaged and enthused can improve the odds of long-term success.

Below, 18 Forbes Technology Council members, including BSI's Mark Brown, share both important foundational strategies for digital transformation as well as early project suggestions for companies that are ready to get started.

Joining a new team can be a daunting experience for anyone, but for those entering the fast-paced world of tech, the challenge can be even greater.

Fortunately, there are specific strategies that leaders can use to help their new tech team members hit the ground running. Below, 15 Forbes Technology Council members, including BSI's Mark Brown, share some of the most effective ways that leaders can support new tech team members and why these methods are so successful.

The members of Forbes Technology Council know and understand the tech equipment and functions that no company can afford to do without these days.

Below, 15 tech leaders, including BSI's Mark Brown, discuss tech-related expenses that companies are often too quick to cut and why it’s so important to maintain these investments.

An IT budget must stretch to cover many bases, including the cost of new software and hardware, necessary upgrades or maintenance, the ongoing training and development needs of the IT team, and more.

Below, 12 Forbes Technology Council members, including BSI's Mark Brown, share essential checkboxes to tick when building an IT budget.

With the potential to provide cost savings, streamline operations, give remote workers easy access to files and software and promote better cooperation and communication among teams—and more—cloud-based services can be game-changing tools for many organizations.

Discover our experts guide to the cloud-based services and strategies every organization should consider, including some specific tools they rely on themselves.

While tech can simplify processes, it can also complicate a business’ risk status and vulnerability. Tech leaders and all higher executives must be aware of what can go wrong and have systems in place to head off preventable problems and quickly address inevitable ones. Below, 16 members of Forbes Technology Council, including BSI's Mark Brown, discuss some tech-related risks executives frequently overlook or underestimate, and why they should be a priority.

In today’s business world, having a website is essential. Many customers prefer to shop online, and having a robust website ensures that they have access not only to important information about your business but also to your products or services—all at the click of a button. But Web hosting can be expensive, especially for businesses just starting out.

Fortunately, there are several strategic steps and solutions—some of them surprisingly simple—that businesses can leverage to make the expense more manageable. Below, 15 Forbes Technology Council members share smart ways a business can decrease its Web hosting costs.

When a child expresses an interest in technology, providing them with the resources to explore that interest can launch them on a path of learning and discovery that will lead to a rewarding, lifelong career.

Below, 14 members of Forbes Technology Council including BSI's Mark Brown share some easily accessible, inexpensive resources parents and schools can leverage to support kids who are interested in learning more about technology.

When Covid-19 gripped the globe in 2020, industries relied on technology to keep moving forward—and the healthcare industry relied on technology to more quickly develop life-saving therapeutics and provide routine care during lockdowns. Soon, technology may be helping doctors, surgeons and researchers deliver higher levels of care and develop new treatments faster than ever before.

Here, 15 members of Forbes Technology Council including BSI's Mark Brownshare some exciting ways technology has impacted the healthcare industry in the last three years.

The end-of-year holiday season brings both excitement and stress for retailers, especially in the age of #ecommerce. Fortunately, with some smart prep work, e-commerce companies can leverage #technology tools to ensure their customers have an exceptional, worry-free experience. Below, 15 members of Forbes Technology Council including BSI's Mark Brown share tips to help e-commerce companies prepare for the holiday season sales rush.

Any company’s security posture is only as strong as its weakest link, so it’s essential for companies to carefully vet any SaaS vendors they’re considering partnering with. Here are 14 security questions business owners should ask all potential SaaS partners and why their answers are so important.

Since the identification of Covid-19, the resultant global pandemic has prompted many organizations to start or revamp their digital transformation process. Digital transformation helps organizations streamline their core business functions and tackle new challenges with emerging technologies. However, these benefits have also changed how organizations approach the growing cyber-physical risks stemming from the increased reliance on technology, especially in the supply chain industry.

Together, BI and ML can take the “clay” of collected data and turn it into the “bricks” of a stronger business—enhanced customer service, stronger cybersecurity, smarter risk analysis and more. Below, 14 members of Forbes Technology Council share impactful, creative business use cases that leverage the combination of business intelligence and machine learning.

In today’s workplace, even companies that produce tech products and services themselves often need to outsource one or more of their tech functions. When it comes to obtaining tech services from a vendor, being a good customer is about more than just paying on time (although that’s important). Here, 15 members of Forbes Technology Council share strategies they’d recommend for IT leaders to develop strong and productive relationships with vendors.

Complying with ever-evolving data privacy regulations can be a challenge, especially if a tech business conducts operations in more than one state or country. It’s essential for leaders of tech companies to constantly monitor data privacy news and events both to stay up to date with current laws and to assure customers that their privacy is protected. 

Consumers share their personal data with companies all the time—whenever they sign up for a newsletter, make a purchase online or create a customer loyalty or rewards account, for example. However, as more companies request contact info, online users are becoming more attuned to the potential hazards that can come with sharing their personal information. 

From home automation to wearable tech, the Internet of Things (IoT) is continuing to expand. These interconnected devices have the ability to absorb and respond to each other's data using embedded sensors, opening up a network of potential possibilities for everyday life and business operations.

In the technology industry, competition remains fierce for tech talent. As companies struggle to usher in top talent, some turn to outsourced tech firms and independent contractors to get work completed. However, it can be difficult to measure the productivity and performance of outsourced developers in comparison to an internal team.

In late 2021, Amazon Web Services experienced extended outages three times within a matter of weeks, affecting services and vendors ranging from Zoom and Quickbooks Online to Xbox Live and Hulu. Businesses across industries—and their customers—were frustrated, and many companies vowed to rethink their heavy reliance on AWS services.

Tech is by nature a “hot topic” industry, and there are plenty of resources offering advice to tech leaders. However, it’s not wise to trust every suggestion or trending topic that pops up in articles or in your email inbox. Some regularly shared suggestions are based on outdated technology or methods, and even some “good” advice needs to be weighed against your and your organization’s unique needs.

Those considering a career in tech often seek advice on the right path or specialty to consider. That's a wise decision—the tech industry evolves rapidly, so knowing what the industry needs right now and what's on the horizon improves a budding tech professional's options when the job hunt begins. While there are many articles and news stories about tech specialties that are facing a current or future shortage of qualified candidates, there's less information out there about specialties that may soon be obsolete.

As technology plays a more and more significant role in how businesses, governments and consumers go about everyday work and life, increased regulation is sure to follow. Any such regulation is likely to be complex by nature. The expert input of tech leaders—who have a unique insight into both technology’s benefits and its potential pitfalls—is not only a valuable addition but often a necessary one.

Innovations in technology have dominated the headlines for years, and it hasn't only been industry experts following the news. For years, the public has watched for regular stories on such topics as the latest iPhones, new fitness gadgets and developments in industrial technology. And with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, technology took on an even more dominant role in our professional and personal lives as we relied on it for everything from working from home to having a variety of needs and wants delivered right to our doors. 

In recent years, tech developers have introduced plenty of tools and products that make our professional and personal lives easier. But this only happens when developers focus on the real needs of end-users — a proviso tech leaders must always keep in mind. A new tech product may excite you and your developers, but all that’s for nothing if the target users don’t find it meaningful.

Nearly every company requires tech hardware and software to handle some or all of its operations, creating a global, industry-spanning demand for skilled tech professionals. This intense competition creates a particularly difficult situation for smaller businesses, which can have all (or more) of the tech needs as the big players but may believe they lack the cachet or name recognition to capture the interest of the best tech talent.

The proliferation of technology in almost every industry—particularly over the past year—has brought with it fierce competition for top tech talent. In today's economy, if skilled tech pros aren't happy with the company they're at, there are plenty of other options out there.