Not too long ago, business tech looked very different. If you worked in an office in the 90s and early 2000s, you might remember the constant hum of fax machines, the painful screech of dial-up internet and the fear of losing a single floppy disk that held all your important files on it.

Fast forward to today and most businesses are using tools like Microsoft Teams, cloud storage and VoIP phone systems. The way we work has completely changed, in many cases for the better.

So how did we get here?

The Old School Office

Fax Machines

Fax was once the fastest way to send a document. You printed it, fed it into the machine, hoped the line didn’t drop halfway through, and if it did, you started again. It was slow, noisy and far from reliable.

Dial-Up Internet

Dial-up meant choosing between using the phone or the internet; You couldn’t have both. Loading a single web page could take minutes and downloading a file was something you left running overnight.

Floppy Disks and CDs

Storage was physical and fragile. You lost the disk? Your work was gone. Damaged the disk? Your data was unreadable. Wanked to share a file? You had to physically hand it to someone or burn it onto a CD.

Office-Bound Working

Most systems only worked in the office; If you weren’t at your desk, you were more or less unreachable. Working from home was rare and, for many people, impossible.

The Modern Workplace

Microsoft Teams and Collaboration Tools

Teams, Slack and other similar platforms mean instant communication. You can chat, call, share screens and collaborate on documents in real time, whether your colleague is in the next room or another country.

Cloud Storage

Services like OneDrive, SharePoint and Google Drive mean your files live securely in the cloud. You can access them from anywhere, on any device, and they’re backed up automatically.

VoIP Phone Systems

VoIP has replaced traditional phone lines. Calls can be answered on desk phones, mobiles or laptops. Features like call forwarding, voicemail to email and call reporting are now standard.

Remote and Hybrid Working

Modern tech allows staff to work securely from home, on the road or in the office. This has become essential for flexibility, productivity and staff wellbeing.

What This Means For Businesses

The biggest change is not just speed, it’s resilience and flexibility.

In the past, if your office lost power or your server failed, work stopped. Today, with cloud systems and remote access, businesses can continue operating even during major disruptions.

It also means better security when done properly. Cloud platforms now offer encryption, multi-factor authentication and automated backups, far beyond what most small businesses could achieve in-house years ago.

However, modern tech also brings new risks. Cyber threats, phishing emails and ransomware simply didn’t exist in the fax era. That’s why having the right IT support in place matters more than ever.

Still Stuck in the Past?

Surprisingly, yes.

At Edmondson's, we still see companies relying on outdated systems, unsupported software and on-prem servers with no proper backup. Often, it’s not because they want to, it’s because no one has shown them a better option.

The problem is old tech costs more in the long run. It’s slower, less secure and harder to support. It also makes it difficult to scale up and adapt when your business grows.

Moving Forward with Confidence

The good news is that upgrading doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. With the right guidance, businesses can move to cloud systems, modern phone solutions and secure remote working without disruption.

At Edmondson's, we help businesses modernise their IT ways that actually make sense for them. No jargon, no unnecessary tech, just practical solutions that improve how people work every day.

From fax machines to Teams, floppy disks to cloud storage and landlines to VoIP, office tech has come a long way. The real question isn’t how far technology has advanced, but whether your business is keeping up.