Trends in information technology influencing management

Introduction

21st century has been defined by application of and advancement in information technology. Information technology has become an integral part of our daily life. According to Information Technology Association of America, information technology is defined as “the study, design, development, application, implementation, support or management of computer-based information systems.”

Information technology has served as a big change agent in different aspect of business and society. It has proven game changer in resolving economic and social issues.

Advancement and application of information technology are ever changing. Some of the trends in the information technology are as follows:

1.      Cloud Computing

One of the most talked about concept in information technology is the cloud computing. Clouding computing is defined as utilization of computing services, i.e. software as well as hardware as a service over a network. Typically, this network is the internet.

Cloud computing offers 3 types of broad services mainly Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS).

Some of the benefit of cloud computing is as follows:

§  Cloud computing reduces IT infrastructure cost of the company.

§  Cloud computing promotes the concept of virtualization, which enables server and storage device to be utilized across organization.

§  Cloud computing makes maintenance of software and hardware easier as installation is not required on each end user’s computer.

Some issues concerning cloud computing are privacy, compliance, security, legal, abuse, IT governance, etc.

2.      Mobile Application

Another emerging trend within information technology is mobile applications (software application on Smart phone, tablet, etc.)

Mobile application or mobile app has become a success since its introduction. They are designed to run on Smartphone, tablets and other mobile devices. They are available as a download from various mobile operating systems like Apple, Blackberry, Nokia, etc. Some of the mobile app are available free where as some involve download cost. The revenue collected is shared between app distributor and app developer.

3.      User Interfaces

User interface has undergone a revolution since introduction of touch screen. The touch screen capability has revolutionized way end users interact with application. Touch screen enables the user to directly interact with what is displayed and also removes any intermediate hand-held device like the mouse.

Touch screen capability is utilized in smart phones, tablet, information kiosks and other information appliances.

4.      Analytics

The field of analytics has grown many folds in recent years. Analytics is a process which helps in discovering the informational patterns with data. The field of analytics is a combination of statistics, computer programming and operations research.

The field of analytics has shown growth in the field of data analytics, predictive analytics and social analytics.

Data analytics is tool used to support decision-making process. It converts raw data into meaningful information.

Predictive analytics is tool used to predict future events based on current and historical information.

Social media analytics is tool used by companies to understand and accommodate customer needs.

5. Visual Information Gratification

 After a decade of near-obsessive Googling, instant access to information with the right (textual) input is now expected, a way of life. The next frontier is visual info-gratification: users accessing information about objects encountered in the real world, in more natural ways and while on-the-go, simply by pointing their smartphones at anything interesting. And just as going online‘ is no longer limited to sitting in front of a computer (at a desk!), discovery will no longer be tied to text search. People will be able to immediately find out about anything they see or hear, even if they don‘t know what it is or can‘t describe it in words. 

With textual search and textual information now being available to most people most of the time, the race is on to add a (useful) real world element and by real world‘ we mean the world of objects and people. Technologies Visual Information Gratification is fueled by the following technologies.

 QR Codes: 

A QR Code is a two-dimensional barcode that can link to multiple kinds of data, including URL links, addresses, and text. QR stands for Quick Response. To access these QR Codes, all we need is a smartphone with a QR Code Reader installed. With the smartphone, we can scan a QR Code using the camera on the phone. From there, the code directs us to a piece of information, usually online. Each QR Code gives different data. While conventional bar codes are capable of storing a maximum of approximately 20 digits, QR Code is capable of handling several dozen to several hundred times more information since QR Code carries information both horizontally and vertically. QR Code has error correction capability. Data can be restored even if the symbol is partially dirty or damaged. QR Code is capable of 360 degree (omni-directional), high speed reading. QR Code accomplishes this task through position detection patterns located at the three corners of the symbol. These position detection patterns guarantee stable high-speed reading, circumventing the negative effects of background.

Augumented Reality 

Augumented reality refers to the addition of a computer-assisted contextual layer of information over the real world, creating a reality that is enhanced or augmented. Various forms of augmented reality, starting with early head-mounted displays, have been around for more than 30 years. Over that time, increased bandwidth and smart phone adoption, as well as a proliferation of AR browser applications, have helped AR evolve from a family of cool gadgets on the periphery of graphics and visualization technologies to an increasingly central player in the technology landscape. 

Augmented Reality One of the most promising aspects of augmented reality is that it can be used for visual and highly interactive forms of learning, allowing the overlay of data onto the real world as easily as it simulates dynamic processes. A second key characteristic of augmented reality is its ability to respond to user input. This interactivity confers significant potential for learning and assessment. To date, most AR apps have relied on a phone‘s GPS and compass sensors to guess‘ what a user is looking at, but newer and more powerful visual search AR technologies are beginning to appear.

6. Visual Search:

Visual search is the method of providing information by searching images of objects or the objects themselves. Image recognition technologies attempt to identify the actual object in the viewfinder in order to search or deliver more content. So pointing one‘s camera at an image of an apple will have the same result as pointing it at the real thing.

7. Cell-All

Recently, the cell phone has become a bad guy by causing distracted driving, crimes and even health problems. But it is possible for cell phones to save lives too. But how can a cell phone be a life-saver? The Cell-All initiative may be one such savior. Cell-All aims to equip cell phones with a sensor capable of detecting harmful gases. The threat of carbon monoxide, the silent, odorless, lethal gas known as the "silent killer", lurks in the average home and leads to at least 2,000 unintentional poisoning incidents per year. Experts believe the figure is far greater than this; poisoning can lead to flu-like symptoms and therefore go undiagnosed or unreported.Working In a Cell-All enabled phone, when a threat is sensed, an alarm is sounded.

The user could set the tone of his choice for the alarm. This warning is sufficient in case of mild gases such as chlorine gas. But in case the gas is deadly – for instance, sarin gas, which is five hundred times more poisonous than cyanide - chances are the user might become unconscious. In that case, realizing the seriousness of the situation, the phone sends the details - including time, location and the name of the gas - to emergency contacts and also to the nearest emergency operations center.

 Advantages - Detection, identification and notification all take place in less than 60 seconds. Thus, emergency responders can get to the scene sooner and can save numerous precious lives.

 Disadvantages - The drawback of the Cell-All technique is that it affects people‘s privacy. But Cell-All will operate only on an opt-in basis and will transmit data anonymously. And for CellAll to succeed, people should be comfortable enough to turn it on in the first place. Cell-All‘s commercialization may take several years. Yet the goal seems imminently achievable. The time is near, when the so called smartphones‘ will become smarter than us.