Did You Know

Almost all business today requires the use of computers and technology. Many businesses use technology to be more efficient and effective. Others attempt to use technology in ways that allows them to innovate and beat the competition. Consider these examples.

• A recent survey showed that 94 percent of higher education institutions planned on implementing telecommuting.
• Using business process reengineering and groupware, IBM was able increase throughput on a given process by 100 fold (that’s 100 times, not 100%).
• U.S. West uses an intranet — an internal organizational Internet — to connect over 20,000 employees in 14 different states. No one outside U.S. West can access this internal Internet.
• Federated Department Stores realized an immediate 50 percent productivity increase in the processing of insurance claims by allowing claims processors to work from home instead of requiring them to come to a central office.
• Many doctors now use videoconferencing as a method for meeting with patients in remote areas. Some can even diagnose problems and offer remedies through videoconferencing.
• Boeing built the prototype for its new 777 completely on a computer. 8,000 employees participated on the project from over 200 departments. The new airplane included over ___________ parts.

Boeing built the prototype for its new 777 completely on a computer. 8,000 employees participated on the project from over 200 departments. The new airplane included over 2 million parts.

Big business requires big technology. And so do small businesses. No matter the size, any business can benefit from the use of technology.