The Pivotal Role of Information Technology at Intel - Case Study Example

Information and Technology (IT) plays a pivotal role at Intel. Digital communication technology such as computers, smart phones as well as iPads among other gadgets has significantly gained prominence at Intel. Most of the work at this company is done using this new kind of communication technology. For instance, digital communication technology is used for communication among the employees as well as the clients. This same technology is also used for processing information within the operations of the organization. The key IT objectives for Intel are mainly concerned with improving efficiency in the way employees perform their tasks. The stakeholders of a company are the people who have a key stake in its operations or are affected by its activities. As such, it can be seen that the key stakeholders for Intel are many and these include the workers who work for the company. These people are responsible for performing the actual tasks in the organization. The management as well as other executive people in the company are also key stakeholders since they are responsible for controlling the activities taking place in the company. The clients of Intel are also major stakeholders since they contribute to its performance. The suppliers who provide the material used by Intel are also key stakeholders. The Company also distributes its products through different agents and these are also stakeholders for the organization. 2. Consumerisation of IT (CoIT) refers to the process where consumer technology is adopted for business purposes. For instance, it can be seen that mobile technology that is specifically meant for communication purposes among different individuals is now being used for conducting different types of business. Instead of just using communication technology for social communication purposes, most organizations are encouraging their employees to adopt this technology in their operations so that they improve their efficiency at work. If carefully harnessed, CoIT can significantly contribute to the performance of the company. If the employees are competent in the use of IT, they can improve productivity in the organization since they can process information at a faster rate. Basically, the use of IT in an organization is faster than information that is manually processed. CoIT also helps the employees to be innovative since they can devise new methods of performing their tasks at a faster rate. Data can be customised to suit the interests of the people involved such as the employees in the organization. The other benefit of CoIT to the organization is that it can easily link with the consumers since they can also use different social media and applications to do business with the company. However, the risk that may be involved is that the hackers can take advantage of this to hack into other people’s accounts to steal their information. 3. Bring your own device (BYOD) should be encouraged at Intel. There are various aspects that ought to be taken into account when implementing this particular strategy in the organization. First and foremost, it must be noted that we are now living in an information society and most if not all aspects of business are now conducted through the use of information and communication technology (ICT) such as the internet. The internet is a network of computers that are linked and information can be instantly passed from one person to the other instantly regardless of distance. In the case of Intel, it can be seen that the company ought to carefully harness this strategy since it can help to improve efficiency with regards to the way the employees perform their tasks. Employees who perform tasks related to information processing and communication in the company should be encouraged to work from their homes using their own devices. If the employees are settled in one place, they are likely to be very productive in their work since they do not waste much of their time travelling to their workplaces. The strategy of BYOD can also help to create a sense of responsibility and accountability among the employees. If they know that the gadgets they are using are theirs, then they are likely to look after them well. This will also help to ease the burden on the organization where it will spend lots of money buying equipment that will otherwise end up being abused by the employees. As long as the IT staff in the organization is able to monitor information, BYOD should be encouraged since it have many benefits than disadvantages to the company. However, care should be taken in order to ensure that risks are minimised since other employees may tend to divulge confidential information to third parties. This may impact negatively on the company since its security may be compromised. Therefore, it is important that measures are put in place in order to ensure that the company achieves its desired goals. 4. Intel Corp can turn BYOD into a new source of competitive advantage if it manages to improve productivity in the company through the use of IT. When employees are able to improve productivity as a result of the use of their own mobile devices, the company is likely to gain a large market share from its activities. This means that the company will now be able to produce more goods at a relatively cheaper cost which is a source of competitive advantage. The risk of managing information may be reduced if the employees are given the right kind of information and knowledge required in order for them to execute their duties. BYOD strategy can also be a source of competitive advantage to Intel Corp in that networking among different people working for the organization will help in the development new products. If people share their knowledge and ideas, they are likely to come up with something new and this can help the company to differentiate itself from the other rival competitors in the same industry. Through innovation, the company stands better chances of appealing to the interests of many people and this can help it to gain a competitive advantage. 5. Proposal for BOYD adoption at Intel. After carrying out research about the BYOD strategy, it has come to my attention that the company can immensely benefit if this method is carefully implemented. There are various benefits that are likely to be derived from adopting this particular strategy. First and foremost, it can be seen that BYOD is likely to improve productivity in the organization since the employees will be in a position to spend more time on their places even at their homes performing various tasks that are related to their work. It is my view that our IT department should manage all the information so as to ensure that the security of the organization is not compromised when the employees are performing various tasks at their homes. We intend to put monitoring and control measures in place that are meant to ensure that we achieve the best out of this method. It is my hope that this method will promote networking among the employees so that they can share their ideas and knowledge. This will help them to come up with creative ideas that can turn around the fortunes of the company. The major critical issue which we should consider is that of security. I am proposing that our IT department should monitor the implementation of this particular program so as to ensure that our information is not compromised. We are also going to ensure that the devices used by the employees are compatible with our system so as to avoid unnecessary problems. This strategy is likely to improve networking among the employees and this will help them to achieve the goals and objectives of the company. I therefore, recommend that we take a step by step approach in implementing this strategy. For instance, we start off with critical departments such as IT and marketing since they specifically deal with issues related to communication. We will review the progress of this strategy quite often in order to ensure that all mistakes are rectified before moving to other departments. 6. Intel should make sure that all the data is accessed through the servers of the company as per requirements of e-Discovery. However, effort should be made to make sure that all the employees sign a legal consent such that the company can access any corporate information when it is legally entitled to do that. The issue of privacy also ought to be taken into consideration to ensure that the employees do not feel insecure as a result of the fat that their email accounts can be accessed at any moment. Alternatively, Intel should entice the employees so that they install e-Discovery applications on their devices so that they are linked to the server of the organization. This makes it easy for the company to retrieve the data as may be required by law. 7. According to the Office of Privacy Commissioner Canada (2013), “The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) sets out ground rules for how private sector organizations may collect, use or disclose personal information in the course of commercial activities.” In adopting BYOD in their Canadian operation, Intel should consider that they will not use personal information for commercial purposes as stipulated under PIPEDA. Instead, they must keep employee information in their databases for their work alone rather than engage in commercial services using personal information belonging to the employees. References Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. “The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).” Viewed from: . Richard Ivey School of Business. “Intel Corp- Bring your own device.” Read More