Hardware and Software

Hardware and Software 

 Developments in technology have radically changed the way that businesses operate. Employees no longer need to be at work to get work done. Advancements in mobile technology now allow employees and business owners to operate their business from home, on the go, and pretty much anywhere with a Wi-Fi connection.

 Smartphones are, in my opinion, one of the best ways that a small business can extend its information systems to the work regime. Smart phones allow an employee to edit excel files, create word and power point documents, send emails, and use a variety of apps that can help a business operate. In fact, according to AT&T, “nearly three-fourths (72%) indicate they use mobile apps in their business, with roughly four in ten (38%) reporting they could not survive - or it would be a major challenge to survive - without mobile apps.”(1) One application that is crucial to small business is Facebook. Using the Facebook mobile app, business can advertise and keep in touch with their customers for free. Other apps such as gps and mobile banking increase efficiency for businesses and allow them to focus their time in other places. 

 Tablet computing is also a way that businesses can become more efficient. Tablet computers such as Ipad’s allow employees to do everything that they normally would at a desk and do it on the go. By using tablets, employees can become more efficient at business meetings, they can do work on their train commute to work, they can bring a tablet everywhere they go and no longer have to be constricted to the confines of an office. Below is a chart illustrating how the majority of people use their tablets.

(2)

On the go software such as Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and a vast array of E-Books also help companies conduct business on the go. Without applications like these, things would move a whole lot slower.

 Conducting business on the go is the future of how companies will operate. Who knows what will happen in the next ten years. For all we know, mobile information systems can go from a useful tool to help a business function more efficiently, to every business operating completely off mobile technology. One thing is for sure, It will definitely be a part of the future for business.

Sources:

1. http://www.cellular-news.com/story/48324.php

2. http://ecsb.exbdblogs.com/2011/04/15/the-gen-x-factor-driving-tablet-use-in-small-business/