The days of “we’ve always done it this way” are over. The world moves fast — faster than ever before, and no one can afford to stay on the verge for a long time. Technology isn’t a niche industry anymore — it’s the backbone of every competitive business, from factories to flower shops.
We were thinking about the digital world as yet another vertical. We call it the “high tech” or “software” industry, but it seems it is not just another specific economic activity, but also a whole other dimension of human life.
Let us imagine a factory back in the 1960s. Workers crank out cars, planes, pipes, etc. We labelled the industry by its output — automotive, aerospace, and metallurgy. Simple enough. Then technology advanced, and factories began producing microchips and, eventually, computers.
Fast forward to the 2000s: the internet exploded, and suddenly, “high tech” was born — digital services that didn’t fit the old factory mould. For a while, we treated this as a separate world, a quirky vertical alongside the rest.
But something has shifted. Over the past two decades, “high tech” has stopped being a standalone category and has seeped into everything. It’s no longer just about coding apps or building websites — it’s a dimension that overlays every industry. Your offline store? It needs a website. Your aircraft factory? It’s running on resource management software. Your bakery? It’s tracking orders through an app. Technology isn’t optional; it is oxygen, a modern fuel.
What happens if you don’t plug in? Your competitors will. They’ll automate their accounting with slick software while you’re still scribbling in ledgers. They’ll run targeted ads on social platforms while your flyers gather dust. They’ll use data to predict demand while you guess and overstock. Efficiency isn’t a buzzword — it’s survival. A 2023 Deloitte survey found that 87% of executives see digital tools as critical to staying competitive. The math is brutal: adapt or lose.
Take retail as an example. A brick-and-mortar shop that adds e-commerce and uses AI to recommend products can double its reach. Meanwhile, the holdout relying on foot traffic watches sales dry up. Or consider manufacturing: a plant using IoT sensors to monitor machines cuts downtime by 30%, while the analog rival scrambles with breakdowns. This isn’t sci-fi — it’s today.
It’s Not “High Tech” — It’s Your Business
Here’s the mindset shift: stop treating technology as a separate “industry” or a fancy add-on. It’s not about hiring a coder to build the next Facebook— it’s about weaving digital tools into your daily business routine. You wouldn’t run a company without an accountant; soon, you won’t run one without a tech strategist. Call it a Chief Technology Officer or “the person who keeps us current” — every business needs someone to own its digital pulse.
This isn’t just for giants like Amazon or Tesla. A local gym can use scheduling apps to cut no-shows. A farmer can deploy drones to check crops. Small wins compound into big edges. The point? Technology isn’t a department — it’s how you operate.