The Worldwide Web Consortium (W3C (News – Alert)) completed the first official HTML5 standard around eight months ago. Since then, the latest iteration of HTML has made steps toward becoming widespread. In particular, HTML5-based gaming and media have become more common. However, when it comes to businesses, particularly smaller and mid-sized ones, adoption could and should be more prevalent.

Indeed, according to the Midsize Insider, businesses that support HTML5 will have advantages over those that don’t. This largely has to do with HTML5’s more robust media support — complete with video, audio and canvas tags — making it easier to keep a website more up-to-date and relevant in today’s media-rich Web landscape.

Meanwhile, the fact that Microsoft (News – Alert) is intending to implement Netflix with full HTML5 support, rather than its own Silverlight technology, in the upcoming Windows 8.1 update is a significant change for the HTML landscape. To start with, it demonstrates that Microsoft views the use of HTML5 media source extensions and encrypted media extensions as a way to keep its latest operating system relevant in the face of weak sales.

Furthermore, this level of integration will provide average end users with greater HTML5 familiarity. After experiencing the type of enhancements offered by the new language standard first hand, they may come to expect it in all their computing and Web interactions. Businesses ready to provide this may in turn experience improved user interaction and engagement, leading to better sales.

Finally, HTML5 adoption could have a positive impact on how midsize businesses leverage cloud computing. In particular, the use of cloud CRM is common among businesses this size, which typically limit the use of some browsers for internal applications. This is done to avoid bugs in applications.

By adopting HTML5, IT managers can deliver an even better media experience for internal users. This is simply because a marriage of HTML5 with the cloud results in better media enhancement.