Wolfgang Seiss

Wolfgang Seiss
Efficiency and Effectiveness of IT in Office Communication
Introduction
Within the last years most firms, from small offices to multi-national companies, have
introduced their own IT-infrastructure to improve the efficiency of their office
communication.
This report deals with the current usage, the advantages, and the disadvantages of computers
and computer networks in an office environment.
Reasons for Implementing an IT-Infrastructure
The main reason for implementing an IT-infrastructure in a company is to increase the
efficiency and therefore to save money.
Since employees and their working hours are very expensive, the employer wants to get a
maximum of jobs done by a minimum number of workers. This is achieved by unifying and
automating especially simple tasks.
Furthermore the importance to easily and quickly access and exchange information has
increased, too.
Usage of Computers in Firms
In a company computers are mostly used for typical office tasks like word-processing,
calculating (spreadsheets), storing data (databases), and scheduling. Additionally, there are
also applications available for specific purposes, e.g. accounting programs which
automatically calculate the taxes that have to be paid.
Recently, telecommunication has become more important, too, so even small companies often
have got Internet access, a homepage, and e-mail addresses.

Wolfgang Seiss
Advantages of Computers and Computer Networks in an Office Environment
One major benefit of using computers and computer networks in an office environment is to
save time. On the one hand this is achieved by using such applications as are listed in the
previous section, on the other hand by implementing networks and networking services like
an e-mail-system for easily and quickly sending messages and documents to other people.
Another interesting possibility is the storage of all data on a server which allows everyone to
access the latest information without the need to copy or mail a modified version of a
document to anyone else.
Disadvantages of IT-Systems
Despite the many advantages of an IT-infrastructure, there are also some drawbacks.
At first the employees must be taught how to work with the new system, and then it has to be
ensured that they really use it and do not fall back to their old habits. A good example is the
so-called “paperless office”, which has never come true, since people are used to printing
documents out.
Then most people who work with a computer have to sit the whole day in front of a screen
which can lead to a disease.
And, of course, the privacy aspect should be considered, too, on one hand for the company, as
computer systems connected to the Internet may be a potential security risk, and on the other
hand for the employee whose activities could be logged.
Conclusion
The efficiency of a company can notably be increased, if their IT-infrastructure is correctly
installed and used. Today a firm without computers and a network is hardly imaginable, and
the future trend is obviously towards the usage of more IT-systems in offices, although big
changes of our working life have come along with it.