2017 is almost at an end and now is a great time to start reflecting on what your glazing business's goals are for the upcoming year.

The technology focus in the glass industry in 2017 has very much been on increased automation and Industry 4.0 and we don't see these trends slowing down any time soon. If you haven't thought about how to incorporate these ideas into your glazing business for 2018, it's time to start doing your research and figuring out where these new developments fit within your company.

Glass Magazine recently published an article called Rise in Productivity, Capital Investment for Glass Manufacturers, detailing trends in both productivity and investment since 1990. While there was naturally a noticeable drop during the recession, recovery has been strong and investment is increasingly on the rise — particularly for glass software.

One of the big trends at GlassBuild and in the glass industry as a whole is 'Industry 4.0'. While the hype around Industry 4.0 has been mainly targeted at glass fabricators, it's important for glass installers to keep up with industry developments as they will inevitably affect glazing businesses in the not-too-distant future if they aren't already.

We often rave about the benefits of using software (perhaps we're a little biased?) but we understand that the reality of implementing new software can be more challenging, especially for your team. Having walked many glazing businesses through this process, here are our tips for a pain-free software switch in your business.

We need to talk about data security — specifically, how to keep your glazing business' information safe and why cloud-based storage is the way to do that.

For some small glazing businesses, "the cloud" is like the boogeyman. They've always stored their data internally, either on individual computers or an on-site server and because they know the location of those items, they feel they are secure. But how diligent are those businesses with cybersecurity? 

Our UK Sales Manager, Paul Needham, is both a Smart-Design and Twitter expert. See his latest creation — a glass office partition, complete with animated doors, created entirely in Smart-Shopfront, our glass design software for shopfronts, curtain walls and partitions.

Let's start at the beginning - what is enterprise software and what is software-as-a-service (SaaS)?

• Enterprise: software you/your organization buys and installs on your own servers
• SaaS: software you subscribe to, usually hosted in the cloud and accessed online

Word on the street (well, in Forbes magazine) is that 2017 will be a year with "more connection, more automation, and more significant impact in business and investment than ever before, and the revolution has just begun."