5. Mobile payments with Apple Pay
Most business technology pundits will point to 2014 as the advent of widespread mobile payments thanks to Apple Pay. (A few will snicker that NFC-based payments and Google Wallet on an Android phone have existed for years.) Still, the main innovation is that mobile payments reached a crescendo as banks, particularly in the US, partnered directly with Apple to support mobile payments and retailers started embracing the idea in full force.
"Without any doubt, the greatest business innovation of 2014 was the rise of mobile payments, specifically Apple Pay on the iPhone 6," says Dr. Satya Ramaswamy, the Vice President and Global Head of the Digital Enterprise at Tata Consultancy Services.
Ramaswamy noted: "Because of its ability to do tight integration between hardware and software within the phone, Apple could make the iPhone instantly connect and start talking to the NFC terminal, without having to unlock the phone, open an app, or enter a passcode. To make it even more appealing for retailers and consumers, Apple Pay makes credit card hacks nearly impossible."
Rob Enderle, an IT analyst for Enderle Group, added: "While NFC has been around for some time it took Apple to get people to start using it in mass and finally making it real. The issue is that we are creatures of habit and it required someone of Apple's stature to get people to charge differently. Apple Pay, and other NFC technologies, are far safer and more secure than the magnetic strip which is the most common form of credit card technology in use in the US."
6. Domain expansion
It may have skirted under your own purview, but another interesting innovation from 2014 pertained to the domain extensions we all use when browsing the web. They seriously expanded over the past year with 700 new domain extensions. Some experts even argue that the days of the .com extension being the only one that is viable for a "real" business are long over.
"Domain expansion is literally changing the way businesses market and drive online traffic and is changing forever the way people navigate on the internet. In the largest naming expansion since the advent of the internet, this year has seen nearly four million new businesses and websites spring up around these new extensions," says Bridgette King, a spokesperson for .CLUB Domains. "When you add an extension like .club, .wiki or even .guru, you know much better what you'll get and businesses can better target their online presence."
7. Intel IOT Gateway
Business users will welcome any device or technology that can create a more unified (and secure) experience, connecting disparate gadgets and making management easier and more robust. That's exactly what the Intel IOT Gateway provides, a sign of things to come when the Internet of Things becomes more common in business. Video cameras, wearable tech, sensors on the front door of the office, and even gadgets that monitor the parking lot can connect through one secure gateway instead of requiring separate management functions.
"The Intel IOT Gateway is a single device that can connect the various device networks to secure, better integrate, and better manage these networks together," says Enderle. "Existing IOT devices only work within families and weren't designed to be secure. The Intel IOT Gateway acts as translator and firewall both allowing different technologies to work together and preventing them from being compromised by an attacker."
