9 Tech Trends Your Nonprofit Needs To Know About

Technology is advancing at blistering speeds. What’s new today is old tomorrow.


Because of this, anticipating tech trends is the only way to ensure your nonprofit is staying ahead of the latest technology.


Here are 9 buzz words and tech trends that your nonprofit needs to be on the look out for in the coming months and years.

1. Software-defined networking

   Software-defined networking (SDN) offers your network administrators a set of tools to virtualize your network’s infrastructure. It works by decoupling the two network systems that decides where traffic is sent, and the systems that forward traffic to a defined destination. By separating these two layers, researchers and inventors of the this innovative technology claim it simplifies networking, and will make simplify large scale networking issues in the long run.




2. Software-defined data centers

   This is still a very new concept, that is loosely defined by even the authorities on the subject. It is essentially abstracting hardware from the delivery of business applications. Essentially with a software-defined data center (SDDC), you are able to pool resources, and allocate them as necessary, automate processes, and all around boost productivity on the internet.




3. Cloud

   Public clouds, private clouds, controlled cloud, community cloud, hybrid cloud. These are all different options for cloud computing services that your nonprofit can take advantage of. The cloud’s role in nonprofit computing is expected to continue to grow into 2015.




4. Software-as-a-service

   Software-as-a-service (SaaS) is a way for software and the data associated with it is hosted by a cloud or other provider. SaaS sales are expected to reach $21.3B by 2015.




5. Mobility

   The mobile space has been a talking point for years now, but with the January 2014 introduction of 802.11ac, a wireless networking standard WiFi, it is even more important than ever. If your nonprofit hasn’t upgraded their Wi-Fi, it might be time to look into. It is expected that over one billion devices will be running on 802.11ac by 2015.




6. BYOD

   Bring your own device (BYOD) is a trend that is sweeping not only the nonprofit world by storm, but the for profit environment as well. It is ultimately up to the organization to decide whether or not a BYOD policy is right for them. There are a lot of hard questions that must be asked, however.
   
   
   Questions like: What potential security hazards does a BYOD policy present? What happens when there’s a problem with someone’s hardware? Who will know how to fix it if everyone has a different device? Will your organizations software run smoothly across all devices?




7. Internet of Things

   The Internet of Things is in reference to the number of devices that will be connected to the internet in the next few years. Medical equipment, household appliances, and almost everything else will all be connected and interacting with the internet. It has already started to impact many businesses who are replacing traditional tools with tablets and other devices that already interface with the internet.
   
   
   The next step is having them interact with the internet without needing a tablet or smart phone.




8. IPv6

   Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is an Internet Protocol (IP) that provides an identification and location system for computers on networks, and facilitates internet traffic. February 2014, the percentage of Google services running IPv6 crested 3% for the first time ever.
   
   
   Chances are good your team has employed IPv6 without even knowing it. Expect it to continue to take a greater role in computing and internet systems in the near future.




9. Big Data

   An IT buzzword that’s been thrown around in the nonprofit space for sometime now. It is of course referring to the large sets of data that help nonprofit organizations find trends through predictive modeling techniques.
   
   
   What’s important to understand now is that big data will occupy your internet connection while being used, and it will occupy server space, depending on whether it is external or internal. What’s important to understand moving forward is that big data is not going anywhere. And as long as it is being used in the right way, your nonprofit will benefit from its use.