On the last few hours of 2011 I want to make some predictions and tips on the technology field for 2012 (particularly for Guatemala but I guess they can be applied to some other similar countries)

• eCommerce is going to get bigger and better. Additional services like delivery, gift wrapping and warehouse renting are going to be needed. Improvement on marketing, SEO, merchant services and other areas are going to be crucial and the companies getting there first will have lots of advantages.
• Social Networks will personalize companies more than they already have. Careers on internet branding, PR consulting and social network management are going to be required more than ever.
• Personal Branding will start to become a must. Companies are outsourcing and downsizing more than ever. If you want to be hired or if you want to be able to sell your services you will need to be known.
• Telecommuting and freelancing will get more popular. Companies outside Guatemala keep looking to hire talented people or to outsource to reduce costs. Workers are looking for jobs where they can spend more time with their families and generate better income.
• eLearning will turn more popular. The need for more techy teachers is going to increase. People want to be educated for less and educators want to reach more students. Webinars and LMS are going to be the perfect combo.
• SaaS will appear on our market. Buying personalized software can be very expensive, some companies don’t even have a budget to go that way. Some others did the investment 10 years ago and still use that software. The improvement of the software and the customer service has gotten worse and worse over the years. New companies offering easy to implement software, for cheap monthly fees will find a very welcoming market.
• Legal IT services, consultancy and other will be needed specially to offer digital goods and services outside Guatemala.
• Internet security will be more than a must. In order to offer services out seas, customer will have to be able to trust our security.

2012 will be full of new opportunities in the midst of our economy. If the new government supports any of the previous topics we shall see a good tomorrow for our country. The more we develop a culture of quality, hard work and customer service the better we are going to be prepared for the local and global market.