Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Deloitte provides notebook PCs with integrated wireless networking capabilities to all
employees, making it possible for work to take place in any area of the complex through
the Wi-Fi network. The notebooks include a SoftPhone application that employees use to
access telephone and videophone services over the local network or over the Internet while
traveling. If an employee receives a phone call at the office, he or she can answer the call
on the notebook PC from any location. This means Deloitte employees can take the office
with them wherever they go.
Deloitte's unified communications system also includes call center management that
routes incoming calls to the proper party. The new system is easily managed and con-
trolled through one central interface. This gives the company greater control over its
telecommunications at a much lower cost. Deloitte professionals are experiencing a
notable increase in collaborative work and improvements to the entire organizational
structure. Deloitte provides an ideal example of the important role telecommunications
plays in the success of a business.
As you read this chapter, consider the following:
•
What services do new telecommunications and network technologies offer to assist
individuals and organizations in being more effective?
•
What role does telecommunications play in connecting organizations and growing the
global economy?
Effective communication is essential to the success of every major human undertak-
ing, from building great cities to waging war to running a modern organization.
Today we use electronic messaging and networking to shrink the world and enable
people everywhere to communicate and interact effectively without requiring face-
to-face meetings. Regardless of your chosen major or future career field, you will
need the communications capabilities provided by telecommunications and net-
works, especially if your work involves the supply chain. Among all business func-
tions, supply chain management might use telecommunications and networks the
most because it requires cooperation and communications among workers in
inbound logistics, warehouse and storage, production, finished product storage, out-
bound logistics, and most important, with customers, suppliers, and shippers. All
members of the supply chain must work together effectively to increase the value
perceived by the customer, so partners must communicate well. Other employees in
human resources, finance, research and development, marketing, and sales positions
must also use communications technology to communicate with people inside and
outside the organization. To be a successful member of any organization, you must
be able to take advantage of the capabilities that these technologies offer you. This
chapter begins by discussing the importance of effective communications.
Why Learn About
Telecommuni-
cations and
Networks?
In today's high-speed global business world, organizations need always-on, always-connected
computing for traveling employees and for network connections to their key business partners
and customers. As we saw in the opening vignette, forward-thinking companies such as
Deloitte hope to save billions of dollars, reduce time to market, and enable collaboration
with their business partners by using telecommunications systems. Here are just a few addi-
tional examples of organizations using telecommunications and networks to move ahead.
•
Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer with $345 billion in sales, plans to include RFID
tags on products in its 4,068 North American stores to improve inventory accuracy,
thereby reducing untracked sales and all but eliminating lost or missing merchandise.
The net result is a savings of $287 million per year. Telecommunications between the
RFID chips and scanners on forklift trucks and between the trucks and in-store computers
is an essential component of achieving these savings.
1
•
Procter & Gamble (P&G) has implemented 13 of its planned 40 Video Collaboration
Studios using the Cisco TelePresence system to empower the P&G community of more
