The workplace of today is changing rapidly with mobile technologies and the internet. Technology is shifting the way we think and how we approach problems. This new empowerment is driving the future of business. Here are 10 ways that technology is changing the way business is done.

For years, Microsoft Security Essentials (also known as Windows Defender) was one of the most powerful antivirus programs available. However, Microsoft has lessened its grasp on the program throughout the years, and its ability to perform because of this neglect has fallen.

Windows 8 was a radical change from prior versions, gearing the operating system to touch screen devices and making a platform to appear the same on multiple devices. The changes were so different that users had to go through a significant learning curve to master the new OS. A recent free update is trying to bridge the gap between the old and new system, in an effort to increase the user experience.

If your phone is lost underneath your couch or the low battery has forced it to turn off while it’s sitting on your kitchen counter, that’s one thing. That just means your phone is out of sight, and that’s completely different than being lost. A good app will force your phone to emit loud noises, whether or not it’s on vibrate, and it’ll be easy to find.

Customer Relationship Management, or CRM, is a designed to optimize the customer experience. A great customer experience is proven to improve loyalty and decrease marketing costs.  An effective CRM program will allow a business to focus on the most profitable customers and tailor revenue activities to that specific group.

While the cookie is not likely to change throughout the entirety of the Internet, Microsoft has some plans in store for it. In fact, they want to replace it completely with their own brand of tracking technology.

The company is thinking about replacing the tracking cookie it uses now with a type of technology that not only tracks what a user is doing online, but what they’re doing on Window-based devices such as the Xbox.

Even the most stable websites aren’t immune to crashes, especially if they’re targeted by a hacker testing out his skills. However, outages aren’t limited to just small businesses. In the past few months, we’ve seen The New York Times go down twice, along with a glitchy Amazon.

In the upcoming fiscal year, the cloud budget could be as much as 30% of the overall IT budget in many businesses. The demand and versatility of using the cloud has made it a new standard for today’s business. The effectiveness and efficiency of traditional security mechanisms are no longer solely dependable.

Just yesterday, Adobe announced that it had been the target of a successful hacking attempt that put millions of accounts in danger of breach.

Adobe’s Brad Arkin, security director, explained that not only were accounts stolen and compromised, the hackers were also trying to gain access to all of Adobe’s products illegally.

An informational technology employee or contractor is hired to oversee and manage the technology of your business. This specialized area is critical, but may not be well understood, except by the individual in that field. A lot of business leaders are experts in their industry, and depend on the IT specialist to make the technology side of their business flow smoothly.