The Impact of ICT on Business Operations and Pandemic Survival

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the crucial role of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in contemporary business operations, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The report begins by highlighting the increasing importance of ICT and its impact on business efficiency, covering various communication and collaboration tools such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Cisco Webex, and their significance for business survival in a virtual environment. It then explores the advantages and disadvantages of cloud storage and computing, examining their role in replacing traditional infrastructure and enabling online services. The report also offers a comparative analysis of the pros and cons of online and offline product sales. Overall, the report emphasizes how ICT has transformed business practices, especially during times of crisis, and offers insights into the technologies and strategies businesses can adopt to ensure continued success.

Information and
Communication
Technology ICT has
become important for
modern times and has
become even more
significant during the
current pandemic.

Contents
INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................................3
Discuss different communication and collaboration tools and their role in business survival in current
pandemic.................................................................................................................................................3
Significance of cloud storage and computers in replacing the need for businesses to acquire and
maintain their own infrastructure in providing online services................................................................4
Effectively compare the positive and negative aspects of sold product online and offline......................9
CONCLUSION.........................................................................................................................................10
REFERNCES............................................................................................................................................11

INTRODUCTION
In present time, information technology has become a crucial part of business as each and
every organization regardless its size, investment adopt technology in order to run business in an
efficient manner. Information technology is associated with the use of artificial intelligence,
cloud storage and other such practices in business which minimize the requirement of physical
interaction (Gümüş and Sönmez, 2018). It is analyzed that due to current pandemic the
requirement of information technology has been increased as it provides an opportunity to
conduct business transactions by avoiding personal interaction. The present report is based on
evolution of technology which has changes the business scenario in current time. It comprises
different tools of communication which are helpful for business entities for survival in pandemic
time. Suitability and application of cloud storage and computing along with their advantages and
disadvantages have also been discussed in the present report. Lastly, it includes positive and
negative aspects of products and services of online and offline selling.
Discuss different communication and collaboration tools and their role in business survival in
current pandemic
Nowadays, use of internet and other smart devices has been increase due to change in
scenario. In present time, individuals are more likely to avoid personal contact & interaction thus
meetings are also organized using new and advance technologies. For this, certain
communication tools which are used in current pandemic time are mentioned as under:
Zoom video communication: It is an application which has gained higher popularity in
pandemic time. A lot of companies are currently using Zoom for conducting business meetings
in an efficient manner. It is a cloud based platform with features of video chatting, interaction,
meeting and more. The application provides tremendous feasibility and flexibility of sharing
screen and chatting with each other during meeting. Apart from the business purpose, it is also
used for personal interaction, studies and telecommunication (Hewson, 2017).
Microsoft team: This is also a communication tool which is being used by companies and
individuals for interacting with each other in an efficient manner. This application is considered
as more reliable and launched by Microsoft Corporation in 2017. During pandemic time, it has

come out as a crucial tool in terms of communicating and interacting with each other. It is a wed
based app which stores all the data on cloud storage and also provides the facility to share files
with each other during meeting. This application is used widely for virtual meetings, conferences
at global level.
Cisco Webex: It is a tool which has been developed by an American Company. This
application provide feature to individuals to interact with each other, share screen with each
other during the meeting. The main feature which makes this application different from other is
its quality which makes feel to the participant as they are interacting personally with each other.
This application is widely used by companies for audio, video and content sharing. It is
considered as highly secure application for virtual meetings, training sessions and conferences.
During COVID 19, it has become a suitable way for individuals to connect with each other
(Biasutti, 2017).
It is analyzed that in present outbreak, it is not possible fir individuals to personally
interact with each other. So, there are a lot of communication tools have been evolved which
provide feasibility to companies as well as individuals to interact with each other in virtual
manner. Apart from video and audio interaction, there are also features of document and screen
sharing which makes these tools suitable for business purpose. Nowadays, business entities have
been spread their operations across the globe so it has become vital to connected with all the
employees who are working in overseas branches. As the result, now virtual communication and
coordination tools are highly used by companies as a medium to stay connected with their
employees (De Paepe, Zhu and Depryck, 2018). Due to COVID 19, it is not possible for
individuals to meet personally so these online communication tools have become the only way to
stay connected with each other. Apart from this, organizations also use their website, social
media platforms to stay connected with customers. For this purpose, online platforms for getting
order from customers and provide them necessary products and services.
Significance of cloud storage and computers in replacing the need for businesses to acquire and
maintain their own infrastructure in providing online services
According to online journal published by Justin Bigger, 2020, for companies of all types,
cloud and storage service providers provide useful IT solutions. Cloud computing for enterprise
was originally conceived as more for personal use, following several personal applications

tailored for business purposes. "Cloud providers take over nearly every area of technology,
ranging from storage to applications and security," said Clay Ostlund, Marco CTO. Many
companies will benefit from robust cloud platforms host apps, Services infrastructure and more –
and sometimes the transformation starts with data storage needs. Cloud computing functions via
data storage on web servers which remote control, administration, and backup is available. The
data stored in the cloud can be accessed from any user whenever permissions exist. Data saved
via the cloud is highly encrypted and secure, as it is available (5 ADVANTAGES CLOUD
STORAGE BRINGS TO BUSINESSES, 2020).
Advantages of cloud storages for businesses
For selfish purposes many individuals profit from the cloud, but many companies are yet
to make the transition. If the present situation in the field of data stock is adequate or if cloud
storage is not included, it is a reasonable starting point to review the benefits.
Cost saving: The cost advantages are the first strength, and therefore most significant to
many company owners. The fact that suppliers spread their technology and resources over
multiple industries means Cloud computing is typically more available. Moving the company to
the cloud reduces infrastructure and operating costs. The removal of certain capital costs and the
related service wages will lead to considerable cost savings.
Simplified convenience: Every manager wants a computer and an Internet connection
inside the company office. Most of their server infrastructure is no longer needed, saving
physical space and eliminating the need for care and maintenance. Once the solution is
maintained, managed and supported by cloud Service Providers. This frees workers who
otherwise cover the duties required to safeguard and operate your records (Gai, Choo and Zhu,
2018)
Mobility opportunities: With companies of all types, the mobility opportunities offered
by the cloud increase quickly. Operational managers will function or run anywhere in the today's
connectivity environment. When a person awaits a flight at the airport or with a sick child at
home, they can still function and operate efficiently. Working outside the office until cloud
storage was difficult and longer than needed. Please remember to save the respective files on a

laptop and back to work to secure access by other people to the new version and to move the
downloaded files.
Scalable services: The corporation pays for what is currently used in the operating
environment of cloud computing. The manager would not have to foresee how much of the
storage capacity they would use for the year. The manager will adapt available resources through
cloud storage services and pay for changes depending on current corporate needs.
Automatic software Integration- Another important advantage of using cloud computing
is the software integration which is automatically occur in the cloud. This will effectively fulfil
the need of business to manually integrate their applications. One of the biggest benefit of using
cloud technology, software application and services is that it can be easily and quickly
customised according the needs and requirements off business.
Environmentally friendly- In context of a business that wants to effectively fulfil its
corporate social responsibility and wants to maintain a small carbon footprints, then they can
adopt cloud-based services. As it is very environmental friendly. Using a pay-per-use virtual
environment for storage of data and effectively running various web applications means business
consume less energy and carbon emissions at the workplace. Other than this in terms of
environment protection a cloud computing will reduce the needs and requirement of physical
hardware. Which reduce the requirements of IT equipment’s in the office. This is the best tool
which help a business in successfully fulfilling its CSR activity.
Automatic software updates- There are various cloud service provider which offer a
regular updates system to ensure that IT requirements needs are consistently and timely fulfil. It
will ensure the round the clock maintenance of cloud servers, which include the security updates.
This will save a lot of time and money which a business will spend it on doing this. The software
require regular updates which consume a lot of precious time of business and cloud software will
help in reducing the wastage of time and cost of business which they invest on updating the
business software.
Improved collaboration- One of the most significant benefit of using cloud storage for
business is that its environment will increase the collaboration between group and the
communities who will access the same file at a same time. It will help in removing the

communication limitation which is faced by business during the traditional IT models. It will
make more simple and faster for the employees who are working in different location and wants
to access information and effectively collaborate with other team members. It help in promoting
the streamline process which means more work is completed in a less time.
Business continuity- Another important advantage of cloud computing is that it maintain
continuity in business. By effectively and efficiently investing in the cloud computing,
businesses will guarantee reliable disaster recovery & backup solutions without hassle of setting
them up on a physical device. Many business will invest in the complex disaster recovery plans
which is a very costly venture and backing up data is very time consuming. While the cloud is it
designed in such a way that the whole data which is stored in it is mirrored across the servers, so
that is one fails the data is instantly back up. It is able to access the data again quickly after the
failure minimise website is downtime & loss of productivity (Rodriguez and Buyya, 2017).
Disadvantage for cloud storage for business
Security and privacy in the cloud- One of the important concern related to using cloud
computing is that there are very high chances that important data of company is being stored
remotely. Before adopting a cloud technology it’s very important for a business to understand
that they will provide sensitive information of business to a third party cloud service provider,
which means it will be put the business into risk. This is why it’s very important for a business to
choose a reliable service provider which keep business information more secure.
Bandwidth information- Based on the service a business choose their will be a bandwidth
allowance. If the business will surpasses the allowance than the charges will be costly. Some
venders will provide unlimited bandwidth so it’s very important to select a right provider.
Vulnerability to attacks- The important information of business is being stored in the
cloud that’s why there is chances of vulnerability to external hack attacks. Internet is not
completely secure and because of this there is always the possibility of steal if important
information of business (Li, Chen and Zhang, 2020).
Data management- Effectively managing the data of a business in the cloud will be hassle
because storage system of cloud has its own structure. So it’s quite difficult for the existing

storage management system of business to always integrate well with the cloud vendor’s system,
which is a drawback for business.
Lifetime costs- If a business adopt a public cloud storage system then the price cost over
the year will increased and tends to add up because of which the lifetime cost will hit the growth
of business. For example if the application of business are local but business data is in the cloud
then it will add to networking cost.
Compliance- Another disadvantage of using this technology is that if a business has
various level of regulation within the business than it quite difficult to work within a public
cloud. This is especially the case for healthcare, financial service and publicly traded companies
are need to be more careful while selecting this technology.
Applications of cloud storage for business
Art applications- A cloud storage and computing offers various art application for an easy
and quick design, such as attractive cards, booklets and images. Some of the most common used
cloud art applications are Moo, Vista print, Adobe Creative Cloud (Prajapati, Sharma, and
Badgujar, 2018).
Business application- These business application are based on the service provider of
cloud. Now a days every organisation will require the cloud business application to grow their
business. This application will help business to provide 24*7 availability to users. Various
business application of cloud computing are discussed below:
 Mail Chimp- It is an email publishing platform which provide various options to design,
send and save templates for emails
 Sales force- This platform will provide various tools for sales, service, marketing and e-
commerce. It will also provide a cloud development platform.
 Chatter- This business cloud computing application will help a business in sharing
important information about the organisation in the real time.
 Bitrix24- It refers to a collaboration platform which provides communication,
management and social collaboration tool.

 PayPal- This business application of cloud computing will offer a simplest and easiest
online payment mode which is using a secure internet account. It will accept the payment
through debit cards, credit cards and form the PayPal account holders (Tamimi, Dawood
and Sadaqa, 2019).
 Slack- It stands for Searchable Log of all conversation and knowledge. It will provide a
user-friendly interface which help a business in creating a public and private channels for
communication.
Effectively compare the positive and negative aspects of sold product online and offline
Online Positive aspects Negative aspects
Sold products online to customers
will provide a large market to
business (Hewson, 2017).
Customers not only wants to buy
the products but they also wants
to receive the experience and for
this their want to touch the
product which is not possible on
online sale.
With the advance in ecommerce
platforms technology it quite easy
and affordable for business to set
up and effectively maintain
ecommerce store with low
overheads.
For buying the products
customers require to access the
internet.
It provide more opportunity to sold
products as in e-commerce websites
there is huge space to include more
information about the product.
Credit card fraud is a real and
growing problem for online
business which will cause loss of
reputation of business.
Offline Positive aspects Negative aspects
A customer will get the opportunity
for face to face interaction in an
offline mode of selling products.
It is limited to a less number of
audience.
In its business will create a sense of
trust in their customers.
It require a high marketing cot
for attracting customers towards

the products.
Offline business will increase the
chance of customer walking which
ultimately lead to higher amount of
sales.
One of the negative aspect of
offline sales of goods is that
business has limited number of
time (Roy, Datta and Basu,
2017)
CONCLUSION
From the above discussion on this report it is concluded that various communication and
collaborative tools will help an organisation in effectively managing the business operations in
the current pandemics. Other than this it is analysis that cloud technology play an essential role
in IT as it provide various advantage to business. In last there is a comparison between the online
and offline sales of product.

REFERNCES
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Gümüş, R. and Sönmez, Y., 2018. Quality of online communication tools at hospitals and their
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Hewson, C., 2017. Research design and tools for online research. The SAGE handbook of online
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Gai, K., Choo, K.K.R. and Zhu, L., 2018. Blockchain-enabled reengineering of cloud
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Rodriguez, M.A. and Buyya, R., 2017. A taxonomy and survey on scheduling algorithms for
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Online
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