Ever feel like each time you manage to feel up-to-date on technology that something changes and you have to start all over again? Whether it is purchasing an iPad only to find out that the iPad 2 is about to lauch, or finally figuring out effective teleconferencing in time to realize that now everyone is conducting virtual meetings, it seems like technology affects business at increasingly faster rates.

According to Daniel Burrus, CEO of Burrus Research, a leading technology forecaster and business strategist
“Technology is driving change faster than it ever has before. We’re no longer in a period of rapid technological change – we’re in a period of rapid technological transformation. We are in the process of transforming how we buy, sell, market, communicate, collaborate, innovate, train, and how we educate.”

In your business – regardless of the product or service you provide – technology is probably one of the biggest challenges and expenses you face. Keeping abreast of what is innovative and cutting-edge not only helps you to budget and forecast technology investments but it also helps you design marketing communications that more effectively reach your marketplace.

In the June issue of CanadaOne Small Business Magazine  Daniel Burrus’ technological insights and forecasts are captured in the article “Flash Foresight: A Look at Technology Trends that are Transforming Business“. Burrus gives some ideas on how small businesses can be at the cutting edge of technology and how it impacts their brand.

3 emerging trends that he says businesses cannot afford to ignore are:

1. Going mobile
Websites need to be maximized for smartphones and tablets. While they haven’t replaced laptops they are quickly becoming people’s primary computers. Is yours?

2. Apps
There are apps for everything from games to dinner reservations – but what they can do for almost any business is provide another way to connect with clients, employees and business partners. Apps are relatively quick and inexpensive to create.

3. Cloud computing
Gone are the days of entire rooms dedicated to servers and being unable to get to your files from home. With virtual servers and virtual storage accessing your files wirelessly from any location is the way of the future.

Are you conducting business on the cutting edge of technology? If you’re not…maybe there’s an app for that…