Week 8 Questions

1. Explain the business benefits of using wireless technology.

Rapid and widespread growth of mobile technology in the twenty first century has shaped one of the largest technology markets. Untethered connectivity has permeated almost every consumer market and technology disruption which has permeated almost every consumer market worldwide. The domino effect of the success of mobile technology has resulted in opportunities for innovation and creativity in technology, marketing and business strategy. Companies worldwide are going mobile to increase productivity, speed delivery to market and reduce operating costs.

2. Describe the business benefits associated with VoIP.

Voice over IP uses TCP/IP technology to transmit voice calls over Internet technology. VOIP enables phone calls, faxes, voice mail, e-mail and Web conferences over digital networks. The telecommunications industry is experiencing great benefits from combining VoIP with emerging standards that allow for easier development, interoperability among systems and application integration. The VoIP and open standards combination has produced more choices, lower prices and new applications. Since VoIP uses existing network and Internet infrastructure to route telephone calls more efficiently and inexpensively than traditional telephone service, VoIP offers businesses significant cost savings, productivity gains and service enhancement.

 3. Compare LANs and WANs.

Networks range from small two computer networks to the biggest network of all, the Internet. A network provides two principle benefits, the ability to communication and the ability to share.  A local area network (LAN is designed to connect a group of computer in close proximity to each other such as an office building, school, or a home. A LAN is useful for sharing resources like files, printers, games or other applications. A LAN in turn often connects to other LANs and to the Internet or world wide area networks. A wide area network (WAN spans a large geographic area, such as a sate, province or country. WANs often connect multiple smaller networks, such as local area networks.
 
 
4. Describe RFID and how it can be used to help make a supply chain more effective.
 
Radio frequency identification technologies use active or passive tags in the form of chips or smart labels that can store unique identifiers and relay this information to electronic readers. RFID tags, often smaller than a grain of sand, combine tiny chips with an antenna. They are heavily used in Inventory tracking, they will eventually replace barcodes.When a tag is placed on an item, it automatically radios its location to RFID readers on shop shelves, checkout counters, loading bay doors and shopping carts. With RFID tags, inventory is taken automatically and continuously. RFID tags can cut costs by requiring fewer workers for scanning items, and also providing more current and more accurate information to the entire supply chain.

  

RFID technologies offer practical benefites to almost anyone who needs ot keep track of physical assests. manufacturers improve supply chain planning and execution by incorperating RFID technologies. Retailers use RFID to control theft, increase efficiency in their supply chains and improve demand planning. Pharaceutial manufacturers use RFUD systems to combat the counterfeit drug trade and reduce errors in fillinf prescriptions.

5. Identify the advantages and idsadvantages of deploying mobile technology.
 
Mobile technologies are transforming how we live, work and play. Handheld devices continue to offer additional functionality and mobile networks are advancing rapidly in their increased speed and throughput abilities. These enabling technologies fuel widespread adoption and creation of new and innvative ways to perform business. The retail industry is fiercly competitive, With the advent of the World Wide Web, non traditional companies have emerged and have made bricks and mortar companies rethink their stretegy. Compeition is also driving profit margins down. The success of a retailer depends on inventory management cost control and proactive customer service. to gain the competitive advantage, more and more retailers are turning to mobile applications to enhance worker productivity, operational efficiencies and anytime, anywhere customer service. On the sales floor and in the warhouse, mobile solutions can help track materials and shipments from supplier and distributiors to the customers, manage inventory and support point of sales activities. Since vast amounts of data can be collected in an automated fashion, analysis can be done much faster and the results can be used continuously to improve operations and customer services. Security is a big issue with identity theft.