The role of computer in business

Information Technology, like language, affects us on many levels and has fast become integral to all of our lives.   In this course we aim to strike a balance in studying both the social and commercial forces of Information Technology, and networking, in particular. 

Let's take a moment here to introduce the commercial forces.

I am quite certain that each and everyone of you has witnessed first hand, even if it wasn't readily obvious, the impact that computers and computer networks have had on business.

In fact, by now the role of computers in business has risen to the point where computer networks, even more than personnel, are synonymous with the corporate entity.  Is this not true?

What do I mean?  Dell Computers ? isn?t a group of people making and selling personal computers as much as it is a collection of loosely affiliated computer systems that, upon receiving an order or customer service request (all online!), come together in a linear process to do a job.  Cisco Systems ? isn?t so much a manufacturer of switches as it is a trusted brand name and expert marketer who happens to use the Internet and a sophisticated ?network of networks? to weave together suppliers, manufacturers, and distributors to form a coordinated, fully branded, fully customized virtual entity that we know as Cisco.   When orders slowed in 1999, Cisco?s response involved rationalizing their supply-base ? leaving capital-intensive subcontractors to squeeze already razor thin margins just to participate in the new, leaner, and ever-responsive sales network.  Indeed Cisco?s information systems are their competitive advantage.

Computers and computer networks act as the central nervous system of today?s enterprise.  Today's regular business people aren?t just relying on them...they're directly administering, monitoring, and configuring them.   While IT staff with specialized skills may focus on application development, integration, and support, today?s business professional requires information technology knowledge to navigate and operate IT systems, to design, customize, and test systems for competitive advantage, and to seek out and identify new solutions that can transform their business. 

Employees in a business come into the company already capable of interacting with each other to share information and create new projects. They are connected in a network of speech. In nearly every business those same employees are using computers. Each of those computers are used to perform the employee’s job, so wouldn’t it make sense that they too communicate like their users?

Many businesses are starting to agree, by networking all company computers in local area networks or LANs. In this arrangement each computer can connect to the other, increasing the interaction capability of the entire business.

The basic need of for most computers to interact in a business is to share files. It’s true this can be done with email, but there is always the issue of a file being saved on someone’s computer who is absent. With a network, any employee can retrieve the same files when needed. And when networked, large projects are much easier to transfer than through email alone. It is also a better medium for collaboration as employees can pass files back and forth, as well as brainstorm, much more efficiently in an open setting in which additional workers can make suggestions.

Additionally, computer networks can be outfitted with remote access so employees can grab and share files from outside of the office like on their home computers or smartphones. It is an ideal system for businesses with employees that need to travel and still access information when needed.

Employing a network can in some cases save money for a business in equipment costs as well. For example, printers. Instead of purchasing multiple printers for various groups, a single high-end printer can be linked to the computer network and used by all.

A successful business is an organized business, and with a networking system each employee can stay organized by staying on the same page. Employees can share project schedules directly across the network and make changes appropriately.

Opinion about this article : The advent of computers has revolutionized the workplace and redefined operational practices. The use and deployment of computers, computer systems and information technology (IT) applications in every aspect of business is now commonplace. The recent application and adoption of Web-based, information and telecommunication technologies has force-multiplied the capabilities and benefits of computers. The importance of computers in business cannot be overstated

http://www.itworkers-alliance.org/the-importance-of-computer-networks-in-business.html

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