Video- Tech visionary Irving Wladawsky-Berger discusses the importance of mobile and smartphones for small and medium businesses.

Episode #3

Because the use of mobile technology and smartphones are growing at an exponential rate people, companies are becoming more and more comfortable doing business virtually. How does this trend impact small and medium businesses? To find out, we sat down for a video interview with tech visionary Irving Wladawsky-Berger. Wladawsky-Berger worked in the IBM Research Lab and later as an e-business strategist for Big Blue. More recently he has been consulting on technology topics.

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For small and medium businesses, the mobile trend and advent of the smartphone means:

• • Businesses can reach customers in real time

• • Employees can be in touch with each other to solve problems and execute those solution

• • Employees can also connect with customers to engage, update and solve problems in real time

In addition to the impact of mobile technology on small and medium business, we also asked Wladawsky-Berger about how the mobile trend is changing the global communities, the global landscape and specifically international trade for small and medium businesses.

PCs and laptops created a digital divide, he says. Smartphones and mobile technology, on the other hand, is now affordable to many who could not afford a PC. Mobile wireless is also relatively inexpensive. Just 10 years ago only a small percentage of people and businesses were digitally connected. Today, however, mobile has created many more customer opportunities. U.S. small and medium businesses are reaching out to Latin America. He also discusses the impact to businesses locally and globally.

In the future, he predicts the following advances in mobile technology:

• • The continued growth of smartphone advances and new feature

• • Smartphones, apps and their capabilities will continue to become more affordable, bringing more people and businesses into the global and business communit

• • The extended connectivity will raise the standard of living worldwide

The future of mobile and smartphones will bring new opportunities for small and medium businesses to become players in the global economy.