Emerging Technologies

Remote and Mobile Working

·         Remote working is working from a location other than the traditional office.

·         PDAs (Personal Digital Assistant) act as a portable electronic organiser

o   Information can be shared with a PC

o   Can be used for PIM (Personal Information Management) i.e. keeping notes, maintaining a calendar

o   Some can also connect to the Internet to be a GPS device

·         Smartphones combine functions of a PDA and a mobile phone

o   It is ‘an advanced mobile phone’

o   Applications can be installed, configured (organised) and ran

o   It allows the user to:

§  Send and receive mobile phone calls

§  Use PIM features

§  Send and receive mail

§  Send and receive instant messages

§  Communicate with remote computers

§  Use applications such as word processor

§  Access the WWW/internet

·         Laptops are also portable devices which can connect to the internet

o   If the laptop is wireless enabled then WiFi hotspots are able to be used

o   Dongles can also be used plugged into a USB port to provide internet connections

·         Portable internet devices combine the portability of a smartphone with the functionality of the laptop

o   Internet access is faster, easier and cheaper

o   UMPCs are designed for business users

o   They run Windows and provide a similar interface allowing the same office applications to run

o   Web applications such as browsing, email and GPS navigation are available

·         Modern telephone allows for conference calls

o   These allow more than one person to partake in the phone call

o   VoIP allows for conference calls with visuals

·         The speed of access to networks together with the growth in wireless technology enables easy collaborative working

o   A team can share access to and add data to a spreadsheet

Benefits to business from advances in technology

·         The wide range of devices has enabled employees to keep in touch despite them being apart

o   Important messages can be answered immediately

o   Important documents can be examined immediately

·         Travel arrangements can be made easily at the last minute

o   Car rental services can be booked via portable devices

o   Time spent in an airport can be reduced by online booking

·         Video conferencing allows meetings to take place between people around the world

o   No travel cost

o   No time taken out of the day to travel

·         Selling goods via a website allows for a greater market to be reached

o   Expensive stores can be closed

o   Saves money on rentals, staffing

·         Remote working means that organisations are no longer limited to employing local people

o   As much work can be done away from an office as within the…