It’s the perfect time of year to evaluate last year’s technology investments and make adjustments for the year to come. Whether 2017 left you with extra cash in your pocket or desperate for a better way to get work done, here’s a roundup of the best IT news from the past year.

Building a rapport with customers has never been easier with customer relationship management (CRM) software. You can track contact information, buying preferences, and sales patterns. It’s a must-have for all sales and marketing teams. But if this is the first time you’re using CRM software, try adopting the following best practices.

It’s rare that business owners have a chance to get move value out of their existing IT solutions without investing more resources in them. But with Microsoft’s latest data analytics platform, business owners can make sure they’re squeezing every last drop of productivity from Office 365, for free.

There are so many variables that go into order fulfillment and shipping that it’s no wonder an entire field has sprung up around streamlining these processes. If you’re looking for a great way to add value to your business, an order management system may be just the thing for you.

What tech fads has your SMB recently written off as silly and not worth your time? 3D printing, internet of things…Pokémon GO? Juvenile as they may seem at first, these trends helped to make a lot of businesses a lot of money. Navigating the quickly rising and falling auspices of the tech world may seem like a lost cause, but with the right know-how, you can make, connect, and catch profits by exploiting the tech trends of the day.

Having direct access to customers is a gold mine for SMBs and with the increasing popularity of live video services it’s just a matter of deciding what to broadcast. The strategies for live broadcasting are very different than pre-recorded video and it’s important to reevaluate how you’ll present company information in this medium.

As a small business owner, you may be a bit perplexed how to gain the most value out of LinkedIn. You may have already spent countless hours trying to leverage the platform with little success. So what are you doing wrong? And how can you make the most out of your time on the platform? Here are a few tactics any SMB can follow to gain more value from LinkedIn.
Know LinkedIn’s purpose
Simply put, LinkedIn is not a content marketing platform.

When it comes to social media, figuring just what, if any, value it offers your business can be complicated. There is no exact science when it comes to figuring it out and even experts disagree as to just what is and is not important when measuring the value of your company's social media.

When run effectively and with an objective in mind, company, departmental, managerial or even one-on-one meetings can result in big ideas, great change, and heightened productivity for your team of employees. On the other hand, if your meeting room is constantly booked up with people shooting the breeze, arguing over procedures, or simply rambling on without direction, you are wasting time and money.

Are you making the most of one of your business’s greatest assets? Along with your loyal customers, your team of enthusiastic and hardworking staff, and your tastefully decorated store or office, there is an all-too-often-unsung hero just waiting to help you take your business to the next level: your data.