London School of Commerce - Digital Skills Report - CFPBUS006

This report delves into the critical aspects of integrated professional skills within the digital age, focusing on communication and collaboration tools, cloud storage and computing, and the evaluation of online versus offline products. The report examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on business operations, highlighting the importance of communication tools like Microsoft Teams, Cisco Webex, Google Meet, Zoom, and ProofHub. It analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of cloud storage and computing, including scalability, cost savings, security concerns, and downtime issues. Furthermore, it assesses the suitability of cloud computing for businesses and explores its various applications. The report provides a comprehensive overview of these key topics, offering insights into how businesses can leverage digital tools and strategies to thrive in the current environment. This report is designed to help students understand the core concepts of integrated professional skills in the digital age.

INTEGRATED
PROFESIONAL SKILLS IN
THE DIGITAL AGE

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
Communication and collaboration tools......................................................................................3
Cloud Storage and Computing.....................................................................................................5
Positive and Negative aspects of products sold online and offline.............................................8
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10

INTRODUCTION
Integrated professional skills in the digital age is very necessary because
as the technologies and the businesses are advancing day by day it is must
for the companies to have the skilled employees who can make use of
advanced technologies for performing different operations of the business
(Räsänen, 2020). The report will focus on the various collaboration and
communication tools which are helping the businesses to run in this current
time of pandemic of COVID-19. It will focus on the advantages,
disadvantages, suitability and the applications of Cloud computing and
storage and the ways in which businesses use the same. It will also highlight
the merits and demerits of dealing with the online as well as online products.
Communication and collaboration tools
The time of pandemic has created a need for making use of online tools of
communication and collaboration. The outbreak of this pandemic has disrupted the ways in
which the work is done in the organisations. The various tools helped the companies in solving
these issues. Remote work has pushed the organisations for adopting collaboration and
communication software. These cloud-based tools are helping the employees to work easily
regardless of the place where they are. The communication has become easier and affordable
from in person meetings to online video conferencing (Hewett, 2021). There can be various
collaboration and communication tools which help in connecting through software or mobile app
or any social media platforms.
Microsoft Teams
This is considered as the quintessential video chat platform which includes various
powerful features like file and screen sharing, shared workflows and apps along with visual style
known as Together Mode which helps in knowing that every is engaged in the meeting and in the
same room. This gives access to only those businesses that have Office 365 subscriptions. They
can access the chat tools and robust video conferencing tools of Microsoft teams. The services of
teams are free which allows hour-long online meetings upto 300 participants (Byrnes and et.al.,
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2021). Even its free version provides various features such as custom backgrounds, real time
collaboration, unlimited chat messages, scheduling tools through Outlook and many more.
Cisco Webex
The businesses that are completely depended on meetings require full-featured
communications software. Cisco Webex provides HD video conferences with the file sharing
and collaboration capabilities for meetings of all types including sales, presentations, online
training sessions, sales demos, staff meetings, web-based events and remote tech support. This
can be accessed from mobile devices through the Webex mobile app in Android, iPad and
Blackberry (Marion and Fixson, 2021). The basic version of this tool is normally free and also
helps by supporting 100 meeting participants but only single user can use this and also the
meetings can last upto 50 minutes.
Google Meet
This is considered as kind of collaboration tool which makes the communication among
employees easier irrespective of their locations and devices of team members. This can facilitate
the employees through video or voice calls, sending multimedia messages or simply chat. Meet
is also similar to the other components of G Suite which improves the features from the previous
flagships team communication tool which was Hangouts. By using this tool, user can directly
make voice calls through computer, hold the video conferences and even live streaming events
and meetings. Also, there is no issue with the people who do not have internet connection or
computer; they can dial in with meeting phone number which is unique (Arif and Nizamuddin,
2017).
Zoom
Zoom is an enterprise level collaboration tool which is having a business price tag which
is all-in-one. This tool came as its own after the COVID-19 shutdowns which swept in US. The
tool also facilitates the users by video and web conferencing solutions along with the file sharing
features and cross-platform instant messaging. The users can also hold all types of online
meetings such as town hall meetings, one on one video conferences, webinars, training,
marketing events etc. It can makes available various other features such as voice, video and
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screen sharing along with using various apps used by businesses (Hurst, 2020). The best thing
about this tool is that it can also be accessible through mobile devices, desktops, video and
conference room systems of the company and many more.
ProofHub
This is considered to be the perfect project management and online collaboration tool
which helps in managing teams and projects using single software. This also helps in bringing
together all the essential tools for fostering teamwork and staying on top of the tasks. This also
contributes in streamlining projects and staying on schedule by making use of its built-in Kanban
Boards and Gantt Charts. There are various collaboration features which are offered by
ProofHub such as Online Proofing, Online Discussions, Chat App, File Sharing etc. The online
proofing helps in reviewing files related to projects, giving feedbacks and approving them in real
time. The online discussions help in collecting thoughts from people on the team for resolving
specific matters (Li and et.al., 2021). Proofhub helps in creating dedicated spaces as the
discussion topics. The people can be added, their attention can be grabbed by mentioning them in
comments and sharing files in the discussion space. The file sharing can also be done in common
space. The cloud storage helps in uploading files from system or other third party file hosting
services such as Dropbox or Google Drive.
This is how, the above mentioned communication and collaboration tools can be helpful to the
businesses for surviving in the current pandemic of COVID-19.
Cloud Storage and Computing
Businesses make use of cloud storage and computing since many years which are making
them face various benefits but on the other hand they are also facing issues by using the same.
The companies believed that this played a very significant for replacing need of businesses for
acquiring and maintaining their infrastructure in order to provide online services. The companies
realised that this is helping them to earn greater profitability by facilitating the customers by
providing them online services. There are various advantages as well as disadvantages of using
cloud storage and computing which are faced by businesses which are as follows:
Advantages
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Cloud storage and computing helps in making the businesses more competitive because
this can be observed that owners of small business needs access to the necessary data of business
24*7 in this emerging and changing business environment. They need to be updated whether
through the phones, tablets, desktops, in office or outside office, directly or indirectly. Cloud
computing and storage provides various options which are personalised, inexpensive and near-
turnkey. The business gets various opportunities to save in various forms especially money. If
the company used the computing services then this can help in reducing the upfront expenses
such as trouble in managing their own IT infrastructure.
In the coming time, the businesses feel the need to remain updated according to the
emerging needs. The businesses sometimes become unable to respond according to the changing
needs of people along with not changing the facilities and assets. In this situation, cloud
computing provides the advantage of scalability which helps in performing the same function
very easily. Furthermore, the cloud computing also provides the function of rich customization
which is not provided by the on-premise software solutions (Ghaffari and Lagzian, 2018). This
helps the businesses in making customization according to the environment for handling the
processes and implementation.
The cloud computing also provides various options to the businesses for eliminating the
cost of hiring an in-house team for maintaining, installing and updating the software. The
company needs to pay only a small subscription or just a monthly fee for maintaining and
managing the cloud data or cloud service. Also, the businesses when use cloud storage or
accounting can save lot of space. The system used in the businesses also runs effectively and
more quickly by using these cloud storages. Furthermore, the companies can also be protected
from a very major concern which is a data loss (Namasudra, 2021). This can be helpful as if the
computers or PCs are lost or destroyed then the data stored in the cloud can be available and
safe. This is why the services which are based on the cloud can be the best option to recover the
data fast in times of emergencies like natural disaster, power outages, data hacking and many
others.
Disadvantages
Though cloud computing benefits the businesses in many ways, this was also observed
that the cloud computing and storage also have some drawbacks due to which businesses face
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various challenges. When the companies use cloud computing then its application runs on server
which helps in providing resource to other business. If there is any DDOS attack on tenant then
this can affect the shared resource performance. The business can also face various technical
issues. Even when the large companies maintain high standards of maintenance, they are likely
to face this type of trouble. Furthermore, another challenge which is faced by businesses in using
cloud computing services is the security threat because when the companies make use of this
technology then they must be aware of the fact that they share their sensitive information to the
cloud computing service provider of a third party. The same information can be accessed by the
hackers which can lead to loss of the information which needs to remain confidential. The
companies also need to consider the downtime because there are many chances that the cloud
provider may face power loss, service maintenance, low internet connectivity and many more
other issues (Dong and et.al., 2017). Also, the companies face problems when the internet
connectivity is not good. The cloud storage service providers do not provide unlimited
bandwidth usage of users instead gives limited bandwidth and if the company needs extra
bandwidth then extra charges are required. Also, the companies face problems in solving the
queries of the customers because the non-technical customers face problems while taking online
help which becomes tedious job.
Suitability
The main suitability of cloud computing in businesses is guaranteeing reliable disaster
recovery and backup solutions and there is also no hassle to set up on physical device. This was
observed that cloud computing and storage offers infinite solutions or selection of options for the
small businesses through vast corporate enterprises. This cannot be identified that it is the right
of the company but there are various options of cloud which makes it suitable for large number
of businesses. These make it better as compared to the outdated in-house IT model which
includes affordability, flexibility, reliability and scalability. The businesses whether large or
small make use of cloud computing and storage because of its suitability. The main requirement
is the good and proper internet connectivity along with good and appropriate technical experts
who have proper technical knowledge.
Applications
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There are various ways in which businesses make use of cloud computing. It is not
compulsory for all the companies to use cloud computing services but the businesses believe that
there are various services and storage spaces in additional which are provided by the cloud.
Following are the various applications where business can make use of cloud and its services.
The major application is the infrastructure as a service which means the company can offer the
clients the use of their infrastructure for hosting their cloud services. The third party
infrastructure can also be sold to create website which can help in promoting the goods and
services. Most of the online platforms run on cloud computing so that they can be available to
anyone through connection. Also, the companies can use this platform as service which means
they are eliminating the need of computer hardware which decreases the IT cost. Cloud storage
can also helps in storing pretty much data and if the companies also needs private access then
these can be made highly secure. Data backup is also another application which helps in keeping
the data safe in secure location even when the data is away from the location. Another
application can be in the time of disaster which means the user can recover the files, data and
programs but only when there is a computer and internet connection (Nachiappan and et.al.,
2017). The cloud also offers various opportunities of collaboration with the collaborators. The
tech companies also make use of cloud for testing new programs and processes. This is how,
there are various applications which cloud accounting and storage has in different companies and
businesses.
Positive and Negative aspects of products sold online and offline
It is observed that in this time of pandemic the offline customers are shifted to online
while some of the individuals do not prefer buying the products online. So everything has its
pros and cons. There are both positive and negative impacts of online as well as offline products
which are as follows:
Positive impacts of online products/ Negative impacts of offline products
The products which are sold online have easy access to market because there are various
online marketplaces such as Amazon and eBay. This helps in allowing the entrepreneurs for
setting simple online shops and selling the products. Also, the companies can save the money
which is spending on the extensive retail premises and in customer facing staff. The companies
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can sell the online products easily through better marketing and this is how customer experience
can be improved on e-commerce site (Yan, Zhao and Liu, 2018). If the products are sold online
then the company does not need to face traditional constraints for retail growth such as finding
and paying for larger etc. Also, through digital marketing strategy the companies can plan for
better fulfilment systems. The sales for online products can be boost up through the online
platforms easily and in very less amount. The online products can be easily marketed so that
along with the local customers the other customers can also be attracted through the same. The
websites can also be partnered with overseas company to increase the product demand. These
things cannot be done in case of offline products and services.
Positive impacts of offline products/ Negative impacts of online products
On the other hand, the online products also lead to increased website costs and in
carrying out various functions such as designing, planning, hosting, creating, securing and
maintaining the e-commerce website. The companies also face infrastructure costs not for
establishing the stores but also in the order fulfilment, dealing in the returns and staffing
warehousing goods etc. In dealing with the online products, there can be risks of the security and
fraud (Li and et.al., 2019). The company cannot contact with the consumers directly and also
there is no sense of touch or feel. This also reduces the trust of customers in the company and its
products. These challenges do not occur in selling the offline products.
CONCLUSION
The above report shed light on the cloud computing and the storage technologies which are
used by the businesses. It also focussed on the various communication and collaboration tools
such as Webex, Zoom, Microsoft teams and many more. This was followed by mentioning and
describing the merits, demerits, suitability and applications of the cloud computing and storage.
Lastly, the advantages and disadvantages of the online and offline products were examined.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Arif, S.A. and Nizamuddin, H., 2017. Online Tools to Improve Faculty Collaboration and Time
Efficiency Inside and Outside the Classroom. INNOVATIONS in pharmacy, 8(4), pp.1-
1.
Byrnes, K.G. and et.al., 2021. Communication, collaboration and contagion:“Virtualisation” of
anatomy during COVID‐19. Clinical Anatomy, 34(1), pp.82-89.
Dong, F. and et.al., 2017. Towards a fast and secure design for enterprise‐oriented cloud storage
systems. Concurrency and Computation: Practice and Experience, 29(19), p.e4177.
Ghaffari, K. and Lagzian, M., 2018. Exploring users’ experiences of using personal cloud
storage services: a phenomenological study. Behaviour & Information
Technology, 37(3), pp.295-309.
Hewett, K.J.E., 2021. Embracing Video Games for Strategic Thinking, Collaboration, and
Communication Skills Practice. In Disciplinary Literacy Connections to Popular Culture
in K-12 Settings (pp. 184-202). IGI Global.
Hurst, E.J., 2020. Web Conferencing and Collaboration Tools and Trends. Journal of Hospital
Librarianship, 20(3), pp.266-279.
Li, J. and et.al., 2021, May. Social VR: A New medium for remote communication and
collaboration. In Extended Abstracts of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in
Computing Systems (pp. 1-6).
Marion, T.J. and Fixson, S.K., 2021. The Transformation of the Innovation Process: How Digital
Tools are Changing Work, Collaboration, and Organizations in New Product
Development. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 38(1), pp.192-215.
Nachiappan, R. and et.al., 2017. Cloud storage reliability for big data applications: A state of the
art survey. Journal of Network and Computer Applications, 97, pp.35-47.
Namasudra, S., 2021. Data access control in the cloud computing environment for
bioinformatics. International Journal of Applied Research in Bioinformatics
(IJARB), 11(1), pp.40-50.
Räsänen, H., 2020. Effectiveness of SAFe methodology on communication and collaboration.
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Yan, Y., Zhao, R. and Liu, Z., 2018. Strategic introduction of the marketplace channel under
spillovers from online to offline sales. European Journal of Operational
Research, 267(1), pp.65-77.
Li, Y. and et.al., 2019. Omni-channel retailing: Do offline retailers benefit from online
reviews?. International Journal of Production Economics, 218, pp.43-61.
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