Internet_Tool_at_Dirt_Bikes

Internet Tools at Dirt Bikes Internet Tools at Dirt Bikes Intranets are becoming more popular throughout small and large companies. “Intranets provide both strategic and tactical advantages, including streamlining business processes, improving communications, enhancing collaboration and reducing the cost of information technology ownership” (DNI, 2007). Almost every department in a company, can benefit from the use of intranets. Intranet technologies include things like web browsers, e-mail, web-enabled databases, Java, streaming audio and video, and groupware, just to name a few. In today’s fast paced world, a company must be up to date, and effective at producing new information fast enough. There is a very competitive marketplace and if a company has a slow reaction to the changing trends or market conditions it could very well put a company at risk of losing business, market share and customers. In the following we will be discussing how Internet tools and technology can benefit Dirt Bikes’ employees, whether it is through communication of obtaining information more efficiently. There are different departments within the company that we will be discussing but the first is sales and marketing. Within these specific departments, sales and marketing, intranets allow centralized publishing of product, service, and marketing information as well as availability to the company database. Intranets provide a way of communication and collaboration throughout both of these departments as well as other operating groups. For instance, sales and marketing employees as well as outside contractors, company partners, distributors and dealers would all have immediate access to company information they need. With these individuals or groups developing the ability to retrieve information results in higher productivity and reduced costs for Dirt Bikes’. The next department that could benefit from the use of intranets with Dirt Bikes’ is human resources. HR use to keep track of everything by paper, which is difficult, time consuming and expensive to keep current information updated. With intranet the human resources department would create a single, secure storage area for all of the confidential HR information and processes. This intranet would be easy to navigate, so it’s available to any employee, regardless of where they are within the facility or what computer they are at. The intranet would be online so it would provide fast access to the newest information. The manufacturing department at Dirt Bikes’ would also benefit from the use of intranets. This department would be able to “consolidate data from multiple sources to simplify and speed access” (DNI, 2007). If Dirt Bikes’ opts to extend its intranet to an extranet that includes customers and supplies, it enables “their customers to place orders directly and receive orders electronically” (DNI, 2007). The last department is production. Within the production department a intranet would provide communication and collaboration, project management, and resource and document control. Intranet would also allow engineers to share files or information easily, and to have a visual influence. Giving the company the ability of enhancing productivity and improving inventory control which over produces reduced costs and higher margins. Two other tools that would be beneficial to Dirt Bikes’ would be the use of a Smartphone and a voice over IP (VoIP). The use of Smartphone’s by Dirt Bikes’ employees would be proficient they could access anything they needed to via their phone. Smartphone’s are cell phones with computer applications, things like expense tracker, electronic scheduler, e-mail messaging, wireless internet, voice communications and digital cameras. Everything about a Smartphone is useful to a business like this, employees can talk to clients, send them messages, look up any company information needed, almost anything a computer can do. Voice over IP (VoIP) is a communication tool that would be used by Dirt Bikes’ employees to receive telephone calls through their computers. Calls that would normally be transmitted over public telephones would go through a corporate network, based on internet protocol. Not only would VoIP provide data infrastructure for both telecommunications and computing services but it would also save money. VoIP can reduce communications and network management by at least 20% since it lowers the long distance costs and eliminates private lines. These two methods would provide Dirt Bikes’ employees with a more complex way of interacting with other employees, clients, partners or other businesses. Providing wireless access to employees would not only be beneficial to them but also to the company itself. Dirt Bikes’ employees would be able to do work from anywhere, whether it was just down the street at a buyer’s facility or half way around the world. Employees with wireless access would allow them to be more responsive to customers, change or review their operating surroundings, and improving the competence of their staff resources. The ability of having company access anywhere, is advantageous to a company like Dirt Bikes’. Overall, intranets are beneficial to companies like Dirt Bikes’. “Intranets offer both strategic and tactical advantages, streamlining business process, improving communications, enhancing collaboration and reducing the cost of information technology” (DNI, 2007). Every department within Dirt Bikes’ would profit from a resource like this. Communication is important because the closer the relationships are between employees, customers, and business partners creates more profit, which ultimately improves performance and competiveness. Two techniques that a company like Dirt Bikes’ could benefit from are the use of Smartphone’s by their employees and the use of VoIP. Smartphone’s resources are nothing but beneficial, providing an excellent communication level, the ability to be more responsive, and access their own operating environment at any place, any moment. VoIP would improve networking within the facility, having the ability to receive calls at the computer. Being able to access any company information, fill out paperwork, and talk to a customer all at the same time, that’s multitasking. There are so many different resources that technology offers a company like Dirt Bikes’. The ability to have wireless access to retain any company updates or reports from anywhere around the world, is beneficial to a company. Dirt Bikes’ could benefit from wireless access tremendously, employees would never be stuck behind a desk, they would be able to go to vendors, find potentially new prospects, and most of all provide any of them with any company information they would need. Today technology plays a large role in both small and large businesses. References: DNI. (2007). Practical Solutions for Business Intranets. Retrieved from http://www.dynamicnet.net/news/white_papers/practicalintranets.htm