PSPINC Official Company Blog

2019 Tech Trends: Virtual Money Exchange

Jan

10

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Money is defined in Wikipedia as “a medium of exchange, a unit of account, a store of value and sometimes, a standard of deferred payment.”

Let’s talk about money -- literally and virtually. Transactions boomed with the rise of credit cards, but with the convenience of emerging “digital wallet” programs like Apple Pay, PayPal, Venmo, Google Wallet, and Facebook, we're heading into next-level consumerism.

Money has always been exchanged with cash, checks or cards, but this year we’ll see the rise of the digital transaction. According to Juniper Research, in 2019 an estimated 2.1 billion consumers will make payments or wire money via digital wallets, a growth of almost 30% over 1.6 billion users last year.

The biggest difference between your credit/debit card and the digital wallet is really in the ease of transaction. If a friend or merchant has an account with your digital wallet provider, such as PayPal, then you can easily wire them money using their name or email. No need for the merchant to run your credit card number through a machine. And no need to give your friend cash to split half the dinner bill. Or write your nanny a check for her services. The digital wallet system cuts out a step and can be done from anywhere at any time for your convenience.

The most recognizable service is PayPal. But the major banks are in the game now, forming an alliance and launching a similar service called Zelle. Missing out on an opportunity from PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Wallet, these banks (Bank of America, BB&T, Capital One, JPMorgan Chase, PNC Bank, U.S. Bank and Wells Fargo are the owner of the service company) are also making your 2019 transactions quick, easy and secure!

#2019 #Advertising #B2B #Blog #DigitalWallet #ENnews #GoogleWallet #Marketing #NewYear #OfficeTips #PSPinc #PayPal #SmallBusiness #Zelle

2019 Tech Trends: Home IoT

Jan

8

image source: pixabay.com

The battle to tap into your home was big in 2018, between smart speakers and home security systems gaining popularity. Amazon and Google have been going head to head for your attention in order to become the platform for IoT in your home. We predict this competition will continue with ferocity in 2019.

The key players are trying to integrate their devices into your home’s daily functions. Some of them are creating hubs, like Amazon’s Echo Show or Google’s Home Hub. The smart home hub would be able to control devices such as your thermostat, lights, garage doors, doorbell, security system, maybe even your cooking devices and laundry machine. The hub would control your home’s IoT, and eventually learn your behavioral patterns.

But why do they want to know so much about you?

The more they know, the more they can influence and control your purchasing habits. They can offer you what you need, in the moment in your home, and be the one to provide the item. Google can advertise a product on behalf of its advertising client, and Amazon can show products to be purchased right from its platform.

Even though these platforms are made for our convenience, when it comes down to it, we humans still need to think critically and make wise choices. Understanding the motive behind home hubs and IoT in our homes can help us outsmart the smart devices and make the right decisions before clicking that 'buy now' button.

#2019 #2019TechTrends #Advertising #B2B #Blog #ENnews #EdgeComputing #Marketing #NewYear #OfficeTips #PSPinc #SmallBusiness #TechTrends #Technology

2019 Tech Trends: Edge Computing

Jan

3

image source: pixabay.com

In 2018, we saw the rise of “Internet of Things” (aka: IoT), which is basically the connectivity of all our devices to each other via the cloud and network systems. The other growing phenomena is “Artificial Intelligence” or AI. IoT and AI are working together to shape our future and make everything we touch smarter – even our homes and vehicles!

So what should we expect in 2019?

Even if you aren’t in an industry where you need the latest and greatest technology right away, it’s important for business owners to be aware of growing trends in technology, because at some point, we all have to adapt to what’s popular. In this blog series, we’ll cover some new tech trends to watch in 2019.

You’re probably familiar with “the cloud.” Today the cloud hosts an enormous amount of data on a global scale. As the physical distance between the user and the cloud increases, transmission times increase. If the user has a slower or older device, that can slow down processing speeds even more. This is where “edge computing” comes in to save the day, and it’s our hot tech trend to watch in 2019.

Instead of relying solely on the cloud, edge computing allows some apps and data to be processed on smaller “edge of the cloud” servers, closer in proximity to the user. Carriers and service providers are taking pressure off their centralized data centers in the cloud through these edge servers. By moving smaller, localized data centers to the edge of the cloud, closer to consumers, it speeds up data processing and response times. Information, such as local traffic, doesn’t have to be processed outside of its region, making distribution faster and more efficient to local users.