The Advantage of Wireless Systems
Learning Team C
University of Phoenix
BIS/220
Mark Kolesinsky
August 1, 2013

The Advantages of Wireless Systems As Party Plates continues to expand, technology must remain a major focus of our growth. While transitioning from Excel to a relational database such as Access will allow our employees to perform their tasks more efficiently and enjoy a greater level of communication, there are other wireless technologies available which can increase both efficiency and communication even further. These wireless technologies and the increased efficiency and production will allow even greater levels of production from our employees and eventually higher profits, in addition to the cost savings which are provided by other features of these technologies.
Wireless Local Area Networks The first wireless technology that Party Plates should make use of is a wireless Local Area Network (WLAN). A WLAN would allow Party Plates the benefits of our current Local Area Network (LAN), but also allow several other benefits that we don’t receive from a LAN. With a LAN, an employee must be present at a computer that is connected by cable to the network, along with each printer. With a WLAN, employees could bring their laptops to work and log into the WLAN. Or, since smart technologies are growing rapidly, employees can even access the WLAN on their phones or tablets. This will result in no longer requiring workstations for employees, and instead cause a more free, open and, ultimately, productive environment.
With the benefit of increased flexibility and communication of a more open environment, a WLAN would also remove maintenance and setup costs from the current LAN method. A WLAN will allow any user to log into the network wirelessly and access any printer that is connected to the WLAN, as well. This will reduce time spent routing cables to the network from employee desks and reduce the maintenance of a vast network of cables, which will save the company money.
The two major drawbacks to implementing a WLAN are the initial setup costs and the questions regarding security. A detailed look at both of these questions will reveal that the pros outweigh the cons. The initial setup costs will be recovered eventually by the labor and maintenance savings created. And while the security questions raise real concerns, these concerns can be managed through the use of several security features that are available today, as numerous other major corporations do.

E-Commerce While it may be easy to look at the question of wireless technology from an internal perspective, as was mentioned earlier, people are relying more on smartphones as time progresses. While this is true with our employees, and we should take steps to take advantage of this progression of technology, it is also true with our customers. Since more of our customers are relying on their smartphones and other similar devices, Party Plates should take steps to ensure that our product is readily available through the media that more customers are turning to. Expanding our e-commerce abilities and our presence as an e-commerce industry leader will expand our sales opportunities and lead to expanded revenue in the long-run. As with the implementation of a WLAN, implementation of an e-commerce presence will come with drawbacks. Similar to the WLAN, the major drawback of an e-commerce presence will be the initial startup costs. These costs can be mitigated with the implantation of a basic e-commerce platform at first, and then expansion as needed. This will allow us to begin capturing a market segment, the smartphone and tablet market, without risking too much investment, since expansion to the platform is always an option in the future. Because of this option and because of the fast-growing outlet, the pros to expanding our e-commerce definitely outweigh the cons.
Conclusion
Business technology is changing rapidly, and wireless technology is at the forefront of these changes. A WLAN and an expanded e-commerce platform for smartphones and tablets are only two of the many wireless technologies that could be implemented by Party Plates. However, given the pros and cons of each technology, with the main focus being cost or risk versus reward in the form of revenue or productivity, the two technologies that Learning Team C believes to be the best for Party Plates are a wireless Local Area Network and an expanded e-commerce presence and platform on tablets and smartphones.

References

Grauer, R. T., Poatsy, M. A., Mulbery, K., Hulett, M., Krebs, C., & Mast, K. (2011). Microsoft® Office 2010: Volume 1. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Rainer, R. K. & Cegielski, C. G. (2011). Introduction to information systems: Supporting and transforming business (3rd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.