The evolution of small business and office technology

The way people work has changed significantly over time, shifting from traditional office setups with desks to open plans, collaborative spaces and standing desks. Technology has enabled new working arrangements, like remote work and shared workspaces, and it’s also made workers more productive, as new inventions have made tasks like creating documents, adding up the costs of transactions, sending messages to coworkers, and doing research much faster and easier.

Typewriters and computers

The shift from writing by hand to using typewriters marked a significant step in how we put words on paper. Introduced in the 19th century, typewriters streamlined the writing process, making it faster and more uniform. Typewriters quickly became indispensable for both business and personal use, but they did come with some challenges, the biggest being that using typewriters is cumbersome. Correcting a mistake often turned into a craft project, painting a paper-colored liquid to “erase” a word, waiting for it to dry, and then typing over it. The invention of computers in the late 20th century changed everything. With word processors, users could easily edit, store and share text, rendering typewriters obsolete. This evolution paved the way for the digital tools we rely on today.

• The History of Typewriters: Take a detailed look at the evolution of typewriters from their early models to the business machines of the 20th century.

• The First Typewriters: Explore the development of typewriters and the QWERTY keyboard layout that we still use today.

• Typewriter: Dig into the history of typewriters and their impact on writing and communication with this article.

• Past is prototype: The evolution of the computer keyboard: Discover how the typewriter influenced the design of modern computer keyboards.

• Carbons to Computers: The Typewriter: A Smithsonian article traces the history of typewriters and their role in the transition to modern computing.

• Who Invented the Typewriter? A Brief History of the Typewriter and Its Numerous Inventors: Discover the masterminds behind the typewriter and how it has been used since it was first invented.

Communications equipment

Communication is essential in business, and technology has dramatically transformed how workers interact. Early innovations like the telegraph, which could rapidly send coded messages over a wire, tremendously sped up communication, and the telephone took that progress to the next level, allowing people to speak and hear each other’s voices in real time. Once the cell phone was invented, people could communicate even more quickly, because you could now make and receive calls from anywhere, instead of having to wait until both parties had access to a tethered phone.

Telecommunication also made sending documents faster: With the invention of the fax machine, people could send a copy of a printed page through a phone line, meaning that you could share a document with someone far away in mere moments instead of having to put it into an envelope and mail it to them. And with the rise of computers and the Internet, a whole new world of instant communication began, giving us email, instant messaging and videoconferencing. As this technology evolved, so did the cell phone, becoming the smartphone, a phone that also allowed people to take the internet with them wherever they went.

• Two Hundred Years of Global Communications: Technology has always shaped how people communicate, from the invention of the printing press to social media platforms.

• Morse Code & the Telegraph: The invention of the telegraph and Morse code by Samuel Morse and other inventors revolutionized long-distance communication.

• Evolution of Radio Broadcasting: Communication by radio waves has been used for a variety of purposes, from wireless telegraphy to broadcasting news and entertainment through radio and TV.

• A Brief History of the Internet: Explore the internet‘s development from its early days as ARPANET to the modern, interconnected World Wide Web.

Photocopiers, calculators, etc.

Businesses also rely on a variety of other gadgets and equipment, such as calculators, printers and cash registers, depending on the specific needs of their work. These tools help streamline daily operations, whether it’s performing quick calculations or producing multiple copies of essential documents, significantly boosting workplace efficiency and accuracy.

• The Evolution of Office Tech and Spaces from the ‘80s to the 2010s: Learn about how office equipment and spaces have changed from cubicle farms to the Internet of Things.

• Office equipment: The past, the present and the future: Take a look at the history and future of office equipment, from Palm Pilots to hologram collaboration.

• A Brief History of Calculating Devices: People have been creating aids to do calculations even before the abacus, and technology has come a long way since then, from slide rules and mechanical calculating machines to computers.

• Evolution Of The Printer And Photocopier: Being able to make a copy of something without retyping it or needing to use messy carbon paper was a big step forward for office technology, and both the photocopier and the printer made creating printed copies of documents as simple as pushing a button.

• The History of Cash Registers: Learn about the early mechanical cash registers, barcode scanners to electronic point-of-sale systems.

• The History of the Fax Machine: Trace the development of the fax machine from when it was invented in 1843 to digital faxes.

Other resources on the evolution of office technologies

• Technology in the workplace: its advantages, importance, and influence

• Work reinvented: Tech will drive the office evolution

• The Role of Technology in the Workplace of the Future

• Technology’s Evolving Role In Today’s Workplace

• History of the Office and Office Equipment: A Resource Guide—Cash Registers

• Using Technology to Make Work More Human

• Office Evolution: How Technology Has Transformed Business

• Technology in the workplace: how it’s evolving and how to stay ahead of the curve

• How to digitally upgrade analog phone lines for your business

• The history of office technology, from the 90s to now

• The evolution of office technology

• The past, present and future of workplace communications

• Flashback Friday: From Typewriters to Tablets

• Business Phone Service

• History of computers: A brief timeline

• A brief history of paper to digital documentation

• Creative ways to use online whiteboards in virtual meetings