Back in 2003, instead of email, we wrote e-mail, and we visited Web sites, not websites. Simplifications like these naturally occur with language over time. But rapid advancements in technology—new on the scene when considering the whole of human evolution—have led to far greater changes in business overall and payments in particular over the last 20 years.
For example, in our July 28 2003, Inspiration feature, "Microsoft Excel-lence," we encouraged people to make full use of the Excel spreadsheet program, which was launched as part of Microsoft Office in 1998:
"There is a software package to meet most any need. But perhaps the ones we use most are the so-called office function packages," we wrote. "These packages make it easy to produce flawless documents, prepare professional presentations and create detailed budgets, reports and track almost any imaginable product, procedure or event. ... If you haven't discovered the versatility of spreadsheet software, you might want to give it a try. Spreadsheets can help you keep track of everything involving your merchants and residuals. One of the most popular spreadsheet programs is Microsoft's Excel."
Back then, most of us purchased and downloaded software, along with what seemed like endless updates. Subscribing to software based in the cloud was not yet widespread. Salesforce.com was among the first to offer subscriptions. That was in 1999. Amazon Web Services and Google Apps launched in 2006.
In 2003, when Wi-Fi was becoming mainstream, Merchant Account Executive introduced ISOdesk, known as the first cloud-based software for ISOs. Its main features were a central repository for all customer data, automated reporting and a mobile app. Others soon followed: MerchantHQ in 2004, MerchantPro in 2005 and eMerchantPro in 2006, all of them helping to make the industry more efficient and streamlined. Of course, due to brilliant innovators among us, they can't compare with the enhanced CRM resources available to ISOs today.
Adoption of cloud-based software subscriptions increased rapidly in the 2010s due to the increasing availability of high-speed internet, the growing popularity of mobile devices, and the increasing demand for flexibility and scalability in business software. Today, cloud-based software subscriptions are the norm for many businesses, including some big names in payments.
It would be quaint if I were to offer tips on how to use Excel in this column today. But, despite the rapid transformations we continue to experience, we still use spreadsheet software. Excel remains popular, along with Google Sheets and other options, each attempting to gain market share.
And our industry's feet on the street continue to be the bridge between individual merchants and the amazing business tools our industry now offers. Among those tools is the ever-more-powerful POS. It's come a long way from knuckle busters of old to the full-featured, tailored POS systems of today.
You can read all about this grand technological evolution in this issue's lead article, "Payments, a retrospective: The changing point of sale." And remember always, it's the people behind the products—those who conceive of them, those who develop and market them, and ultimately those who effectively explain all of their features and benefits to merchants—who make all the difference. 
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