Implications of Information and Communication Technology for Business

Implications of Information and Communication Technology for Business

Time and geographical factors have a huge affect on the communication

methods we use. In the business world time is money, and no matter how

far u need to communicate to, it normally has to be done quickly and

efficiently. This is where Information Systems (IS) and Information

Communication Technology (ICT) have a huge impact on businesses

nowadays, especially large scale organisations. Currently, Local Area

Networks (LANs) are becoming more common in normal size businesses,

and large-scale organisations tend to use Wide Area Networks (WANs),

intranets and extranets.

A LAN is a computer network that spans a relatively small area. Most

LANs are confined to a single building or group of buildings. However,

one LAN can be connected to other LANs over any distance via telephone

lines and radio waves; this is what we call a WAN (a system of LANs

connected together).

Each node (individual computer) in a LAN is able to access data and

devices anywhere on the LAN. This means that many users can share

expensive devices, such as laser printers, as well as data. Users can

also use the LAN to communicate with each other, by sending e-mail or

engaging in chat sessions. Hence LANs can be very useful for a small

to medium sized businesses.

For big businesses/organisations, WANs are more useful, as it means

the business is not limited to where it can be based. For example a

company may have its head quarters in London, but have an office in

Cambridge. With the use of a WAN the same benefits as the LAN can be

achieved, but in a greater geographical situation.

Anot...

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facilities means the same thing, employees can browse the net rather

than doing their work. There are measures to fight against this, but

they are not very efficient.

As you can see, technology in the past few years has rocketed, and now

ICT and IS are extremely fundamental to businesses and organisations,

without the use of them everything even down to the simplest of things

such as communication will be affected.

Bibliography

· Rowe, Christopher and Thompson, Jane, People and Chips, ‘The Human

Implications of Information Technology’. McGraw Hill, 3rd Edition 1996

· Bocij Paul, Chaffey Dave, Greasley Andres and Hickie Simon,

‘Business Information Systems – Technology Development and Management

for E-Business’. FT Prentice Hall 2002.

· Langford, Duncan, ‘Practical Computer Ethics’. McGraw Hill 1995