Technology and Business - Essay Example

Technology and Business Overview of the Technology The technology that I have chosen for the paper is the use of “Blackberry” devices. The Blackberryis a handheld device that relies on wireless technology to optimize the use of applications like email, chat and organizer for professionals. Ever since its introduction in 1999, the Blackberry device has grown in popularity and is now one of the fastest growing among the electronic devices that are currently in use. The Blackberry devices are primarily known for sending and receiving email and organizing one’s schedule when away from the desk and unable to access the laptop or the computer.

In a way, Blackberry is the next generation in portable access that began with the introduction of mini computers and then laptops and now to handheld devices. It is an improvement over the PDA (Personal Digital Assistant). The Blackberry has its own operating system that has been developed by RIM (Research in Motion), the company that has pioneered the device. There is provision for third party vendors to provide add-on software. Currently, Blackberry allows for integration with the Microsoft Exchange, Novell and Lotus software.

Blackberry can be thought of as a mix of the WAP access in mobile phones and the portability of a PDA. The latest versions of Blackberry have the GPS (Geographical Position Service) enabled along with the radio feature. This is a marked improvement over the earlier versions and it shows the extent to which the device has evolved over the years.There are concerns over the security features and RIM is trying to address these in the later versions.Potential impact for companiesThe Blackberry device is portable and allows for flexibility and “on the move” access of the applications for professionals in any field.

It is the technology of choice for senior management and those who have multiple meetings in a day. As mentioned in the previous section, it is a boon for anyone who spends a lot of time away from his or her desk and yet needs to access the emails and know the schedule for the day. Many companies have taken to the Blackberry devices in a major way and it is not uncommon to see executives sporting these devices. The later versions of the device have text messaging and group chat enabled along with the internet fax and other features that enable the users to access the network simultaneously.

More and more companies are going in for versions of the device with lots of gigabytes of memory and storage space so as to enable the users to have applications like Microsoft Word integrated and make the users access them “on demand”. This integration makes the transition from desktop applications to the handheld devices and thus to a “wireless” computing mode. Thus, companies find the next generation of office computing very easy with the Blackberry device.The potential security implications of using a Blackberry device have been the point of discussion among the users who are wary of hackers gaining access to their networks.

There are some countries that do not allow Blackberry devices due to fear of compromising the security of their networks. It remains to be seen how much and how far RIM can address these concerns. For the moment, though, it is Blackberry all the way for professionals on the move.Source articleBlackberry series of articles at Wired.comhttp://www.wired.com/search?query=Blackberry&siteAlias=noblog&x=0&y=0Batista, Elisa (2008). RIM pushes on with new Blackberry. Wired.com. Retrieved Oct 23, 2008, from http://www.wired.com/techbiz/media/news/2003/08/59982