1.Explain the business benefits of using wireless technology
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The benefits of employing wireless technology within a business include; (a) direct and instantaneous communication to suppliers, customers and any associates relevant to business operations, (b) increasing the speed of business overall, (c) payments for goods and services can be made electronically as opposed to ordinary face-to-face transactions, (c) using wireless technology to advertise the business and provide incentives to potential buyers, (d) increasing business market share.
2.Describe the business benefits associated with VoIP.
The first of the four key elements, voice over IP or VoIP uses TCP/IP technology to transmit voice calls over Internet technology. The telecommunications industry is experiencing great benefits from combining VoIP with emerging standards that allow for easier development, interoperability among systems and application integration. Since VoIP uses existing network and Internet infrastructure to route telephone calls more efficiently and inexpensively than traditional telephone service, VoIP offers businesses significant cost savings, productivity gains and service enhancements.
3.Compare LANs and WANs.
A LAN or local area network is designed to connect a group of computers in close proximity to each other such as in an office building, a school, or a home. A LAN is useful for sharing resources such as files, printer’s games or other applications. A LAN in turn often connects to other LANs and to the Internet or wide area network. Alternatively, a WAN or wide area network spans a large geographic area, such as a state province or country. WANs often connect multiple smaller networks such as local area networks. Hence it should be noted that direct data communication links between employees of a business, or a company and its suppliers or customers, or both have been successfully used to give companies a strategic advantage.
4.Describe RFID and how it can be used to help make a supply chain more effective.
RFID or radio frequency identification technologies use active or passive tags in the form of chips or smart labels that can store unique identifiers and relay this information to electronic readers. RFID tags, often smaller than a grain of sand, combine tiny chips with an antenna. When a tag is placed on an item, it automatically radios its location to RFID readers on shop shelves, checkout counters, loading-bay doors and shopping carts. With RFID tags, inventory numbers and information is taken automatically and continuously. RFID tags can cut costs by requiring fewer workers for scanning items; they can also provide more current and increasingly accurate information to the entire supply chain. For instance, manufacturers and retailers can monitor their entire supply chain effectively using RFID technology minimising costs and resources in the process. Manufacturers can effectively monitor their products whereabouts, if its going to arrive on time, if the number of items in that shipment is correct and if it’s being sent to the correct location, all this without tying up labour, costc, resources and time.
5. Identify the advantages and disadvantage of deploying mobile technology
Advantages of mobile technology within business include: (a) universal access to information and applications; (b) the automation of business processes; (c) user convenience, timelessness and ability to conduct business 24/7, 365 days a year. The first of the 3 elements, universal access to information and applications insinuates how people are mobile and have more access to information than ever before, but they still need to get to the point where they can access all information anytime anywhere, hence mobile devices help persons engage in such actions. Secondly, the automation of business processes describes how wireless technologies have the ability to centralise critical information and eliminate redundant process. The last of the 3 major advantages of deploying mobile technologies includes user convenience, timelessness and ability to conduct business 24/7, 365 days a year. This means that people delayed in airports no longer have to feel cut off from the world or their office. Through wireless tools and wireless solutions such as blackberry RIM or Iphone device, people can access information anytime, anywhere.
Possible disadvantages of deploying mobile technology include: (a) increased security risks, i.e. potential alleyway for hackers and violation and extraction of private information, (b) increased room for human error, i.e. decreased use of trained personal monitoring all business actions, hence increased responsibility of the employee to ensure that they are correctly doing their job whilst on a mobile device. (c) Increased fluctuation and volatility, i.e. companies should not assume that once created, a mobile strategy is a fixed and/or finished product. With the high rate of change in the marketplace (e.g. devices, connection types, applications), it could prove very problematic for the organisation to constantly monitor, update and modify the policy.
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