Why adopt ICT?
Quite simply if you do not incorporate ICT into your business, your business may be placed at an extreme disadvantage. If your competitors are using ICT to improve communications, speed up processes, save time and cut cost, then you will struggle to remain competitive in your sector against any companies who are using ICT strategically to streamline their business structure.
Don't be left behind, take advantage of technology and communications in the world of business.
Here are some examples of how ICT could help your business:
Broadband - ADSL - Broadband refers to telecommunication in which a wide band of frequencies is available to transmit information. Because a wide band of frequencies is available, information can be sent on many different frequencies or channels within the band concurrently, allowing more information to be transmitted in a given amount of time.
Broadband is an essential business tool, because much of today's technologies use broadband in order to function. Keeping your anti virus software up-to date and upgrading your latest software with fixes and improvements takes a fraction of the time over a broadband enabled line as it does with a dial up connection. If you think broadband is expensive compared to dial up, then you would be correct ,however, add to that calculation the amount of time you spend sitting waiting for files to download, and re connecting after each dropped line, dial up suddenly is becoming expensive because its wasting your time. And how many times have you decided not to download the latest fix to Microsoft software because of the time its going to take, instead choosing to leave yourself and your business open to malicious viruses?
VoIP - Voice over Internet Protocol - is simply the transmission of voice traffic over IP-based networks.
A primary attraction of VoIP is its ability to help reduce expenses because telephone calls travel over the data network rather than the phone company's network. VoIP also has an abundance of extra features compared to normal phones, features such as: call waiting, call logging, voice mail, call blocking, and a myriad of web based analytical tools which can be viewed from anywhere in the world via your PC.
Make it easier for people to communicate with your business, utilising email, telephone, your website and text messaging.
email - electronic mail. The benefits of email are obvious, save on postage costs, deliver your message in seconds, the ability to not only share text, but also pictures, music and video via embedded files in the email.
VPN - A "virtual private network" is the 21st Century way of working from home or from a remote office. By using the Internet to extend your company's office network across many miles, it is possible to log into your office computer account from any Internet connection. The benefits of VPN's really shine through when it comes to homeworking, saving on travel costs, flexible working hours, less office space needed and therefore less rates to pay.Recent research suggests that homeworkers have proportionately less sickness leave than their office bound colleagues.