ICT in Business - Simply Put!

Introduction

In the Marstan Guide “Introduction to Business Management”, we said that ICT is vital to the success of an organisation.

We also said that there are four cornerstones of effective ICT:

1. ICT strategy
2. Software
3. Infrastructure and hardware
4. Training and support

What is ICT?

• ICT = Information and Communications Technology

Simply Put!, this means telephones, computers, printers and any devices which help you to speak to people or prepare, send, receive, edit, store and read documents.

Is ICT really vital to the success of an organisation?

Yes! It is difficult to conceive of any organisation of any size which does not have any ICT of some kind, even if it is only a telephone.

The world has come a long way since an internal memo in Western Union said (in 1876):

“The telephone has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication.”

There is no doubt that ICT will continue to develop rapidly and this is being driven not only by inventors and manufacturers, but also by businesses and their customers. In addition to there being “more of the same – but quicker and smaller”, history teaches us that we cannot predict today, precisely what will be available tomorrow.

This is ably illustrated by the following statement by the Commissioner of the US Patent Office in 1899:

“Everything that can be invented, has been invented.”

Isn’t ICT a specialist field?

Yes, but every business from a “one man band” to a large company can benefit considerably from using the technology that works for them. In view of the importance of ICT it is very important to understand the basics of ICT rather than allow a specialist to take all of the decisions away from you.

Where should we start?

Simplicity is the watchword; you should have enough ICT to do your job effectively, but not so much that you make things unnecessarily complicated.

In specifying ICT requirements it is NOT necessary to understand how it works; merely what is possible. This is just like owning a car; you need to know how to drive it and undertake some general care, not carry out major repairs or a full service.

The most important thing to bear in mind when planning your ICT is to think like a USER of the equipment – not like an ICT expert. In other words, try and focus on what you need to do with the technology, not the way it works.

Another thing to bear in mind is that it is almost impossible to keep up with the pace of development of the technology, so do not attempt it!

It is not necessary to have the latest piece of hardware or the most recent version of the software. Efficient businesses tend to keep reasonably up to date but ensure that they get value for money from their ICT before they upgrade to the next generation. Typically, they will assess the benefits of each upgrade and therefore miss a generation or two so that they can keep up to date without excessive investment and without continual change and disruption. They do not allow themselves to fall so far behind that they have a prohibitive backlog in their investment.

What is possible with ICT in business?

Here are some of the things you can do with ICT:

1. Speak to people “live”:
   • By telephone from a fixed line (office, home or other locations)
   • By telephone from a mobile so that you can be anywhere
   • By computer (often free) by using a system like Skype or MSN messenger (which also allows you to use a video camera if that would be useful).
2. Exchange messages “instantly” without having to talk directly to anybody. Sometimes this is better than getting into a conversation:
   • SMS (Short Message System or “text”) to a mobile phone
   • Email.
3. Send or receive documents “instantly” (without relying on the delays of traditional post):
   • Fax machine (still demanded for certain bank instructions but clearly declining in use now)
   • Attach documents to an email.
4. Create copies of documents:
   • Photocopier or scanner for hard copy documents
   • Printer for electronic documents.
5. Convert hard copy documents into text so that you can edit it:
   • Scan using OCR (Optical Character Reading) software.
6. Maintain your diary, fully synchronised between a telephone, computer or laptop so that you have the same information wherever you are working – no more double bookings! :
   • Microsoft Outlook’s Calendar.
7. Keep a list of contacts, fully synchronised between different devices and allowing you to easily search for them; telephone them; sent text messages or emails; call up a map and add useful notes about when you met and what you discussed:
   • Microsoft Outlook’s Contacts
   • Specialist Contacts Management Databases
   • Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems.
8. Keep a list of all of your tasks or actions, fully synchronised between different devices and allowing you to specify dates or set the level of importance:
   • Microsoft Outlook’s Tasks.
9. Keep a list of any random notes or thoughts, fully synchronised between devices and allowing you to search easily:
   • Microsoft Outlook’s Notes.
10. To make yourself or your opinions well known on the world wide web:
    • Web site
    • Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter
    • Blogs (i.e. Web logs), which are online articles or journals).
11. To manage finances and figures easily and efficiently:
    • Online banking – keep yourself up to date on your bank balance
    • Paying bills – quicker and cheaper than issuing cheques
    • Accounts software, e.g. Sage
    • Spreadsheets, such as Microsoft Excel.
12. To produce letters, reports and newsletters in a way that can be automated, saving considerable time:
    • Word processor, such as Microsoft Word.
13. To store, catalogue, edit, display and distribute photographs and films:
    • Digital cameras
    • Digital video cameras
    • Photo editing software such as Adobe Photoshop or Elements.
14. Storing, cataloguing, retrieving and reading or printing documents:
    • Electronic storage on a computer
    • Logging into your system online so that your files can be available wherever you are in the world.
15. Submitting official documents online:
    • E.g. Tax returns.
16. Ordering goods online.

There are many other applications, but the items we have listed above cover the majority of businesses and provide the following benefits:

1. Keeping you in touch with people.
2. Making the best use of your time.
3. Giving you options about how and where you work.
4. Enabling you to produce good quality documents.
5. Keeping you well organised by ensuring that there is only one version of your diary, tasks, notes and contacts.
6. Prevents you from carrying around a lot of documents such as address books, business card holders etc.
7. Keeps your documents organised, safe and easily retrievable.
8. Saves you a lot of time in travelling by ensuring that you can do a lot of things online rather than in person (such as banking and shopping).

 What should I buy and how can I get advice?

Use the previous section to guide you on what you require. Concentrate entirely on what you want to be able to do before you buy anything.

For example, if your work rarely takes you away from the office or home, you will not need the complexities which come with mobile technology.

Before you speak to an ICT adviser, ask people you know in other (similar sized) businesses to see if there is anybody they recommend. Give them as much information as you can about what you want to do.

Ask the advice of at least 2 or 3 different people so that you can compare different solutions.

Will I have time to learn to use the systems?

Yes you will!

If you are new to ICT it will be a bit like driving initially; it will be difficult for a while but you can be sure that you will pick it up and it will soon seem automatic.

To fail to use ICT because “I haven’t got the time to learn” is like saying that you will walk everywhere because you haven’t got time to learn to drive.