Top Business Technologies for Today鈥檚 Job Market
Business technologies help organizations save time and money, serve their customers better, and provide their听employees听the tools they need to maximize their talents.听Virtually every听type of business professional interacts with technology in the workplace.
Among findings in the听McKinsey Technology Trends Outlook听2025听report, McKinsey听notes听that fast-moving technological innovations are听鈥�.鈥澨鼳s business executives consider how changing technology affects the success of their organizations, they are likely to encourage their employees to听be听tech-savvy,听too.
Further reading:听How an MBA led this exec to his dream job at MGM.
Whether听you鈥檙e听a recent听business school听grad听or a seasoned pro, below are essential business technologies you should know鈥攁nd be able to master over the course of your career.
Artificial Intelligence Tools听
AI has quickly moved from an emerging trend to a standard part of everyday business workflows. According to McKinsey鈥檚 November 2025听report on the state of AI,听听in at least one business function, up from 78% just a year earlier. Many workplaces are also beginning to experiment with AI agents that can plan and carry out multistep tasks on their own.
In practice, this often looks like听employees using听AI assistants and chatbots built directly into the software that听they听already use听to听draft听emails, summarize听documents and meetings, answer听questions in conversational language, and help听teams find information faster. Business intelligence tools also use AI to automate reporting and turn raw data into actionable insights in real time, which can help professionals听optimize听everything from marketing campaigns to supply chain planning. These tools are听showing up听across industries鈥攊ncluding healthcare, retail, and finance鈥攚herever听organizations want to work faster and make better-informed decisions.听
For today鈥檚 business graduates,听it鈥檚听no longer enough听to merely听be comfortable with traditional office software. Employers increasingly expect employees to听be听AI literate, understanding how to use AI assistants and automation tools responsibly and effectively as part of their day-to-day work.
Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 is ubiquitous:听Businesses and organizations around the world rely on听the听suite of office-focused applications. The software package includes Word for writing reports, memos, and other documents; Excel for creating spreadsheets; PowerPoint for presentations; Outlook for email and scheduling; Access for database management; and Visio for creating diagrams, flowcharts, and floor plans. Many Microsoft 365 plans now include Copilot, an AI听tool听built directly into these apps that can help draft documents, summarize spreadsheets, and create presentations.
In today鈥檚 job market, basic听proficiency听at drafting documents, entering data into spreadsheets, and building a simple PowerPoint presentation听is table stakes. Certain business specialties demand a lot more. A financial analyst, for example, needs to go well beyond basic data entry听and be able to听build听pivot tables, run听forecasting models, and turn听raw numbers into a polished report or presentation for leadership. If听you鈥檙e听eyeing a business role that calls for听specialized听tool听knowledge, consider brushing up or deepening your skills on your own or through a relevant degree program.
Collaboration Software
Collaboration software refers to programs and platforms that help teams communicate, share files, and stay organized while working together鈥攐n-site or remotely. Tools like Slack and Microsoft Teams are common examples, and most collaboration programs offer team messaging that听supports听both open conversations and private discussions, along with features like video calls, file storage, and file sharing.听
These platforms give business professionals a more efficient way of听communicating about听their daily work than relying on email, phone calls, or in-person conversation.听That鈥檚听a particular boon for remote and hybrid workers, who can conveniently coordinate with colleagues in real time from听nearly anywhere.听
Today鈥檚 employers expect workers to understand the basics of exchanging messages and sharing files through these types of platforms. The good news is that if听you鈥檝e听ever used group chats or shared updates on social media,听you鈥檙e听already familiar with the general concept听of听collaboration software.
Web Conferencing Tools
As businesses expand, they come to rely more on web conferencing technology鈥攍ike Zoom, Webex, and Google Meet鈥攖o connect teams, train employees, and hold live meetings with colleagues and clients over the internet. Web conferencing is a specific type of collaboration tool, often providing features such as screen sharing, file transfers, and application-sharing capabilities that let business professionals present to groups in distant locations.
Any business graduate seeking a job in today鈥檚 market should know how to join a web conference听and听participate听in an online meeting or event.
Project Management Platforms
While collaboration software helps team members communicate and work together,听project management platforms听help teams organize and track projects from start to finish. These projects might include a marketing campaign, product launch, or implementation of a new service for a client.
With platforms such as Trello, Asana, and Jira, teams听can听assign and schedule tasks, manage budgets and resources, share information, and keep projects on schedule. They give users a high-level view of everything a team is working on while also providing detailed information about individual projects, tasks, deadlines, and responsibilities.
Entry-level听proficiency听with a project management platform might include knowing how to review assigned tasks, check deadlines, share updates, and track your progress. Managers and team leaders may use these platforms more extensively to听monitor听project progress, coordinate employees and resources, manage budgets, and听make adjustments听when necessary to keep work on schedule.
Customer Relationship Management Systems
Customer relationship management (CRM) systems听help sales teams and other customer-facing professionals organize and manage interactions with current and prospective customers. Businesses听use CRM platforms to keep track of customer information, schedule appointments and sales calls, follow up on leads, and听maintain听relationships throughout the customer journey.
CRM platforms,听such as Salesforce, HubSpot, and Zoho,听can also support customer service and marketing activities by keeping important customer information organized in one place. Many modern CRM platforms are听cloud听based, making these tools accessible to organizations of听different sizes听and allowing employees to access customer information from听different locations听and devices.听
Because CRM systems are widely used across sales, marketing, customer service, and other business functions, developing at least a basic understanding of how these platforms work can be valuable for business professionals. Even if you听don鈥檛听use a CRM听tool听every day, understanding its purpose can help you see how different teams manage customer relationships and use information to support business goals.听
Learning the Tools
Technology skills have become an important part of working in business, but you听don鈥檛听necessarily need to master every platform before starting your career. Understanding what common business technologies do鈥攁nd being comfortable learning new systems鈥攃an help you adapt as tools and workplace needs continue to change.
A听degree in business听from WGU听can help you build the knowledge and practical skills needed for today鈥檚 workforce while giving you opportunities to become familiar with technologies you may听encounter听throughout your career.听
As you prepare to enter the job market or pursue your next career opportunity, consider which technologies are commonly used in your field.听Identifying听and addressing gaps in your technology skills now听will听help you become more confident using new tools听once听you鈥檙e听on the job.
Frequently Asked Questions About Modern Business Technologies
Why are technology skills important in business careers?
Technology skills听are important because many business roles rely on digital tools for communication, productivity, project tracking, data organization, and customer management. Employees who understand workplace technology can often work more efficiently and adapt more easily to changing business needs.听
How can students build business technology skills?听
Students can build business technology skills by taking business courses, practicing with common workplace software, completing projects that use digital tools, earning relevant certifications, and looking for internships or entry-level roles that provide hands-on experience.
Do business professionals need to know how to use听AI tools?
Increasingly, yes. As more workplaces build AI assistants and automation into everyday software, employers are looking for candidates who can use听AI听tools responsibly to support their work, whether that means drafting content, summarizing information, or turning data into actionable insights more efficiently.
