Office Automation Systems

Office automation systems (OAS) are configurations of networked computer hardware and software. A variety of office automation systems are now applied to business and communication functions that used to be performed manually or in multiple locations of a company, such as preparing written communications and strategic planning. In addition, functions that once required coordinating the expertise of outside specialists in typesetting, printing, or electronic recording can now be integrated into the everyday work of an organization, saving both time and money.

Types of functions integrated by office automation systems include (1) electronic publishing; (2) electronic communication; (3) electronic collaboration; (4) image processing; and (5) office management. At the heart of these systems is often a local area network (LAN). The LAN allows users to transmit data, voice, mail, and images across the network to any destination, whether that destination is in the local office on the LAN, or in another country or continent, through a connecting network. An OAS makes office work more efficient and increases productivity.

Electronic Publishing

Electronic publishing systems include word processing and desktop publishing. Word processing software, (e.g., Microsoft Word, Corel Word-Perfect) allows users to create, edit, revise, store, and print documents such as letters, memos, reports, and manuscripts. Desktop publishing software (e.g., Adobe Pagemaker, Corel VENTURA, Microsoft Publisher) enables users to integrate text, images, photographs, and graphics to produce high-quality printable output. Desktop publishing software is used on a microcomputer with a mouse, scanner, and printer to create professional-looking publications. These may be newsletters, brochures, magazines, or books.

Electronic Communication

Electronic communication systems include electronic mail (e-mail), voice mail, facsimile (fax), and desktop videoconferencing.

Electronic Mail.

E-mail is software that allows users, via their computer keyboards, to create, send, and receive messages and files to or from anywhere in the world. Most e-mail systems let the user do other sophisticated tasks such as filter, prioritize, or file messages; forward copies of messages to other users; create and save drafts of messages; send "carbon copies"; and request automatic confirmation of the delivery of a message. E-mail is very popular because it is easy to use,

offers fast delivery, and is inexpensive. Examples of e-mail software are Eudora, Lotus Notes, and Microsoft Outlook.

Voice Mail.

Voice mail is a sophisticated telephone answering machine. It digitizes incoming voice messages and stores them on disk. When the recipient is ready to listen, the message is converted from its digitized version back to audio, or sound. Recipients may save messages for future use, delete them, or forward them to other people.

Facsimile.

A facsimile or facsimile transmission machine (FAX) scans a document containing both text and graphics and sends it as electronic signals over ordinary telephone lines to a receiving fax machine. This receiving fax recreates the image on paper. A fax can also scan and send a document to a fax modem (circuit board) inside a remote computer. The fax can then be displayed on the computer screen and stored or printed out by the computer's printer.

Desktop Videoconferencing

Desktop videoconferencing is one of the fastest growing forms of videoconferencing. ﾀ Desktop videoconferencing requires a network and a desktop computer with special application software (e.g., CUSeeMe) as well as a small camera installed on top of the monitor. Images of a computer user from the desktop computer are captured and sent across the network to the other computers and users that are participating in the conference. This type of videoconferencing simulates face-to-face meetings of individuals.

Electronic Collaboration

Electronic collaboration is made possible through electronic meeting and collaborative work systems and teleconferencing. Electronic meeting and collaborative work systems allow teams of coworkers to use networks of microcomputers to share information, update schedules and plans, and cooperate on projects regardless of geographic distance. Special software called groupware is needed to allow two or more people to edit or otherwise work on the same files simultaneously.

Teleconferencing is also known as videoconferencing. As was mentioned in the discussion of desktop videoconferencing earlier, this technology allows people in multiple locations to interact and work collaboratively using real-time sound and images. Full teleconferencing, as compared to the desktop version, requires special-purpose meeting rooms with cameras, video display monitors, and audio microphones and speakers.

Telecommuting and Collaborative Systems.

Telecommuters perform some or all of their work at home instead of traveling to an office each day,usually with the aid of office automation systems, including those that allow collaborative work or meetings. A microcomputer, a modem, software that allows the sending and receiving of work, and an ordinary telephone line are the tools that make this possible.

High-tech meeting rooms help companies make more effective presentations. At some conference halls, like this one at the Chinzan-so Four Seasons Hotel in Toyko, small video screens are built into the table tops.

Telecommuting is gaining in popularity in part due to the continuing increase in population, which creates traffic congestion, promotes high energy consumption, and causes more air pollution. Telecommuting can help reduce these problems. Telecommuting can also take advantage of the skills of homebound people with physical limitations.

Studies have found that telecommuting programs can boost employee morale and productivity among those who work from home. It is necessary to maintain a collaborative work environment, however, through the use of technology and general employee management practices, so that neither on-site employees nor telecommuters find their productivity is compromised by such arrangements. The technologies used in electronic communication and teleconferencing can be useful in maintaining a successful telecommuting program.

Image Processing

Image processing systems include electronic document management, presentation graphics, and multimedia systems. Imaging systems convert text,

drawings, and photographs into digital form that can be stored in a computersystem. This digital form can be manipulated, stored, printed, or sent via a modem to another computer. Imaging systems may use scanners, digital cameras, video capture cards, or advanced graphic computers. Companies use imaging systems for a variety of documents such as insurance forms, medical records, dental records, and mortgage applications.

Presentation graphics software uses graphics and data from other software tools to create and display presentations. The graphics include charts, bullet lists, text, sound, photos, animation, and video clips. Examples of such software are Microsoft Power Point, Lotus Freelance Graphics, and SPC Harvard Graphics.

Multimedia systems are technologies that integrate two or more types of media such as text, graphic, sound, voice, full-motion video, or animation into a computer-based application. Multimedia is used for electronic books and newspapers, video conferencing, imaging, presentations, and web sites.

Office Management

Office management systems include electronic office accessories, electronic scheduling, and task management. These systems provide an electronic means of organizing people, projects, and data. Business dates, appointments, notes, and client contact information can be created, edited, stored, and retrieved. Additionally, automatic reminders about crucial dates and appointments can be programmed. Projects and tasks can be allocated, subdivided, and planned. All of these actions can either be done individually or for an entire group. Computerized systems that automate these office functions can dramatically increase productivity and improve communication within an organization

Office automation refers to the varied computer machinery and software used to digitally create, collect, store, manipulate, and relay office information needed for accomplishing basic tasks and goals. Raw data storage, electronic transfer, and the management of electronic business information comprise the basic activities of an office automation system.[1] Office automation helps in optimizing or automating existing office procedures.

The backbone of office automation is a LAN, which allows users to transmit data, mail and even

voice across the network. All office functions, including dictation, typing, filing, copying, fax,

Telex, microfilm and records management, telephone and telephone switchboard operations, fall

into this category. Office automation was a popular term in the 1970s and 1980s as the desktop

computer exploded onto the scene

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Office automation refers to the varied computer machinery and software

used to digitally create, collect, store, manipulate, and relay office

information needed for accomplishing basic tasks and goals. Raw data

storage, electronic transfer, and the management of electronic business

information comprise the basic activities of an office automation system. In

its basic form, information exists as letters, memos, graphs, records,

messages, and so on. When that information is electronically transferred,

raw data is exchanged between two or more office employees, either at the

same or different locations.

The history of modem office automation began with the typewriter and the

copy machine, which mechanized previously manual tasks. However,

increasingly office automation refers not just to the mechanization of tasks

but to the conversion of information to electronic form as well. The advent

of the personal computer in the early 1980s revolutionized office

automation. Popular operating systems like DOS (Disk Operating System)

and user interfaces like Microsoft Corp.'s Windows dominate office

computer systems. Today, most offices use at least one commercial

computer business application in the course of daily activity. Some large

companies like AT&T maintain extensive and complex office automation

systems, while smaller companies may employ only a word processor.

In order to process information, office automation systems must allow input

of new information and the retrieval of stored information. Input of new

information refers to the physical transfer of text, video, graphics, and

sound into a computer. Input can be typed into the computer or scanned

(digitally reproduced) from another document or source. New advances in

input devices frequently allow direct handwritten input or voice dictation.

Input of pre-existing information means retrieving the electronic materials

from an existing storage area. These storage areas can be finite and local,

such as the hard drive on the office PC, or as seemingly infinite and global

as the Internet, the worldwide collection of computer networks that is

growing every year.

THE BASICS OF OFFICE AUTOMATION

Generally, there are three basic activities of an office automation system:

storage of raw data, data exchange, and data management. Within each

broad application area, hardware and software combine to fulfill basic

functions.

DATA STORAGE AND MANIPULATION.

Data storage usually includes office records and other primary office forms

and documents. Data applications involve the capture and editing of a file,

image, or spreadsheet. Word processing and desktop presentation packages

accommodate raw textual and graphical data, while spreadsheet

applications enable the easy manipulation and output of numbers. Image

applications allow the capture and editing of visual images.

Text-handling software and systems cover the whole field of word

processing and desktop publishing. Word processing is the inputting

(usually via keyboard) and manipulation of text on a computer. Word

processing is frequently the most basic and common office automation

activity. Popular commercial word processing applications include Word

Perfect (Corel) and Word (Microsoft). Each provides the office user with a

sophisticated set of commands to format, edit, and print text documents.

One of the most popular features of word processing packages are their

preformatted document templates. Templates automatically set up such

things as font size, paragraph styles, headers and footers, and page

numbers so that the user does not have to reset document characteristics

every time they create a new record.

Desktop publishing adds another dimension to text manipulation. By

packaging the features of a word processor with advanced page design and

layout features, desktop publishing packages easily create documents with

text and images, such as newsletters or brochures.

Image-handling software and systems are another facet of office

automation. Images, or digital pictures, are representations of visual

information. Visual information is an important complement to textual

information. Examples of visual information include pictures of documents,

photographs, and graphics such as tables and charts. These images are

converted into digital files, which cannot be edited the same way that text

files can. In a word processor or desktop publishing application, each word

or character is treated individually. In an imaging system, the entire picture

or document is treated as one whole object. One of the most popular uses of

computerized images is in corporate presentations or speeches.

Presentation software packages simplify the creation of multimedia

presentations that use computer video, images, sound, and text in an

integrated information package.

Spreadsheet programs allow the manipulation of numeric data. Early

popular spreadsheets like VisiCalc and Lotus 1-2-3 greatly simplified

common financial record keeping. Particularly useful among the many

spreadsheet options is the ability to use variables in pro forma statements.

The pro forma option allows the user to change a variable and have a

complex formula automatically recalculated based on the new numbers.

Many businesses use spreadsheets for financial management, financial

projection, and accounting.

DATA EXCHANGE.

The exchange of stored and manipulated information is an equally

important component of an office automation system. Electronic transfer is

a general application area that highlights the exchange of information

between more than one user or participant. Electronic mail, voice mail, and

facsimile are examples of electronic transfer applications. Systems that

allow instantaneous or "real time" transfer of information (i.e. online

conversations via computer or audio exchange with video capture) are

considered electronic sharing systems. Electronic sharing software

illustrates the collaborative nature of many office automation systems. The

distinction between electronic transfer and electronic sharing is subtle but

recognizable.

Electronic transfer software and systems allow for electronic, voice, and

facsimile transmission of office information. Electronic mail uses

computerbased storage and a common set of network communication

standards to forward electronic messages from one user to another. It is

usually possible to relay electronic mail to more than one recipient.

Additionally, many electronic mail systems provide security features,

automatic messaging, and mail management systems like electronic folders

or notebooks. Voice mail offers essentially the same applications, but for

telephones rather than computers. Facsimile transmissions are limited to

image relay and have suffered in popularity with the increase in the use of

the personal computer. One popular alternative, for example, is to send and

receive faxes by modem.

Electronic sharing systems offset the limitations of a store-and-forward

electronic mail system. Office automation systems that include the ability to

electronically share information between more than one user

simultaneously are often called groupware. One type of groupware is an

electronic meeting system, which allows geographically dispersed

participants to exchange information in real time. Participants may be

within the same office or building or thousands of miles apart. Long-

distance electronic sharing systems usually use a telephone line connection

to transfer data, while sharing in a localized area often involves just a local

area network of computers (no outside phone line is needed). An interesting

byproduct of the electronic sharing functions of an office automation system

is telecommuting. A telecommuter works for a business from another

location (often home) using a computer and a connection to the office

automation system. Telecommuting is an increasingly popular style of work

for many office workers and companies.

DATA MANAGEMENT.

The last major component of an office automation system offers planning

and strategic advantages by simplifying the management of stored

information. Task management, tickler systems or reminder systems, and

scheduling programs monitor and control various projects and activities

within the office. Electronic management systems monitor and control office

activities and tasks through timelines, resource equations, and electronic

scheduling. As in data exchange, groupware is gaining in popularity for data

management. Each member of the work group or larger group may share

access to necessary information via the automated office system and

groupware.

OFFICE AUTOMATION: PEOPLE, TOOLS, AND THE WORKPLACE

When considering office automation three main areas need further

discussion: people, and how automation affects them; the constantly

changing tools used in automation; and the ways in which automation has

changed the workplace.

People involved with office automation basically include all users of the

automation and all providers of the automation systems and tools. A wide

range of people—including software and hardware engineers, management

information scientists, and secretaries—use office automation. All are also

involved with providing information. This dual role of both provider and

user gives rise to two critical issues. First, training of personnel to

effectively use an office automation system is essential; the office

automation system is only as good as the people who make and use it.

Second, overcoming workplace resistance is a must if the full benefits of

automation are to be realized. Change is difficult for some workers, yet

must occur for a business to remain competitive.

Practical tools for office automation include computer hardware and

software currently available in a number of models, applications, and

configurations. Two basic microcomputer platforms are DOS (Disk

Operating System)-compatible computers and Apple Macintosh systems.

Applications such as word processing, database management, and

spreadsheets are common and constantly changing. Standards are

increasing but still not yet completely integrated into all aspects of office

automation. Office automation tools may stand alone (without access to

information at other computers) or be networked (with such access).

Configuring complex office systems to share information is difficult and

involves a considerable staff commitment. Popular local area network

software includes Novell NetWare and Lantastic.

Practical workplace issues of office automation often involve the budget and

physical considerations involved with creating, exchanging, and managing

information. Equipment, rewiring, training, security, and data entry all cost

money and require space. Newly recognized medical problems such as

repetitive motion syndrome are a significant issue for some people using

office automation systems. Repetitive motion syndrome is a medical

disorder associated with lengthy keyboard inputting and seating

arrangements. Likewise, environmental safety concerns might also include

vision and overall health considerations related to electromagnetic

computer emissions.

Telecommuting advances enable an increasing percentage of the workforce

to maintain an office at home and, at the same time, provoke considerable

debate on the future of the central office. Businesses must comply with

software licenses or face lawsuits. Office automation systems can be

complex to acquire and costly to administrate for large organizations. The

availability of vital office information in such an easily obtained digital

format requires considerable thought and preparation for data security.

By integrating raw information with exchange mechanisms and

management structuring and guidance, office automation creates

advantages as well as disadvantages. Benefits in using electronic

management systems include savings in production and service costs as

information is quickly routed for optimal office performance. Office

automation can also be cost effective, as powerful microcomputers continue

to drop in price. While office automation often mirrors actual paper

transaction and activity, an office automation system may also complement

the paper system and provide output only available in digital format. Thus,

office automation extends the information activities of the office to surpass

physical or geographic limitation.

By far the fastest growing segment of the office automation industry is for

multifunction peripherals. These machines incorporate a combination of

functions into one. The first such machines included a plain paper fax and a

color printer in one unit. These products grew quickly to incorporate

scanners and related functions. By the late 1990s, these items registered

over 100 percent growth rates.

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Office Automation

 

Personal computer-based office automation software has become an indispensable part of office management. Word processing programs have replaced typewriters; spreadsheet programs have replaced ledger books; database programs have replaced paper-based office works, inventories and staff lists; personal organiser programs have replaced paper diaries; and so on.

Starting with basic, word processing and spreadsheet programs in the 1970s, by the 1990s office automation programs had become very sophisticated. These programs have served to empower ordinary office workers by enabling them to complete tasks in-house that once had to be sent off-site to be completed by specialists.

For example, desktop publishing programs allow relative novices to produce professional-quality

publications, where once even the simplest of typesetting tasks had to be sent to professional typesetters and printers. Database and spreadsheet programs running on high-powered personal computers allow ordinary users to input, store and use data in ways that once would only have been possible on large main-frame computers operated by specialist programmers.

 

Types of Office Automation Software

A typical 'suite' of office automation software will include some or all of the following kinds of programs:

word processor spreadsheet database desktop publisher project manager presentation computer file manager email internet browser internet publisher personal organiser financial system personnel system

 

Using Office Automation Software

It is desirable that all users of office automation software be trained in their use. In most cases our skilled professionals train clients to their satisfaction. Software packages also come with user manuals (paper and/or on-screen) and comes with self-paced on-screen tutorials.

Our Modern office automation software is very powerful and mostly fits to the needs of Skilled users. We also can develop very sophisticated products based on individual needs. For example, office automation for:

producing all or most of its publications in-house, including books, brochures, forms and newsletters

composing, editing and printing all correspondence in a standard corporate style, incorporating automatic printing of logos and corporate livery

developing computer-generated presentations for projection on overhead screens for seminars and training purposes

entering, storing and using data automating various parts of the office process, such as issuing and receiving

capturing and analysing office data storing and manipulating employee records automating large scale personalised mail-outs to clients and staff keeping inventories maintaining a corporate web site and an internal intranet planning and monitoring all aspects of a major project organising a financial management system sending individual and grouped electronic mail to internal staff and external clients sharing files across a network