Scanners technology

Scanners

Scanners are one of the important computer accessories in the modern offices. A scanner is an output device. This hardware is connected to the computer to take out the digital prints of images and text documents. Since its invention, scanner technology has grown leaps and bounds.
If you have a photo or document on paper and you want its digital copy, it is the job of a scanner to provide you that. Once you get a digital copy of that particular photo or document, you can print it, copy it or send it anywhere in the world.
Features of various types of scanners are more or less same. What makes them different from search other is the quality of digital print they deliver. There are scanners which produce absolutely flawless copies of the print. However, the better is the quality of print produced; more is the cost of the scanner. You can, however, adjust the quality of scan according to your needs.
Having a scanner is very beneficial for ordinary people or home office owners. You can produce you own photographs at home using the photo quality paper. You need not go to the local store to get your photos developed. In addition, you can preserve you important documents using scanning technology. And the most important use is the ability to send your scanned photographs and documents anywhere in the world via email or fax within no time.
There are standalone scanners and built-in scanners with printers. Standalone scanners are more powerful and deliver high-quality scans. If you want to save space and have convenience, go for the scanners incorporated with printers. These scanners provide you convenience of getting hard copy and digital copy at the touch of a single button.
There are many kinds of scanners depending upon their technology and design.
Flatbed scanners are the most common and most versatile kind of scanners. These are also called as the desktop scanners. Sheet fed scanners look like and work like flat bed scanner with few differences. In this scanner, paper is moved and scan head remains immobile. Handheld scanners also use the same technology as the flatbed scanner but these are very small. User moves it to the point where scanning is to be done. It is used mostly in shops and stores for scanning labels on the products. Drum Scanners are sued in publishing industry. It can scan images of high quality with reliability. It works on the photomultiplier tube technology.
If you want to purchase a scanner, choose it carefully according to your requirements.Canon, Hewlett-Packard, Epsom and Dell are the reputed companies offering good quality scanners.

Inkjet Printers technology

Inkjet Printers

Inkjet printers are one of the most common and effective printing technologies on the market today. There are many variations on this design in use for both commercial and private needs, although models used in the private sector use the same basic design and technologies.
What Makes an Inkjet Printer Work
Although there are many versions of inkjet printers, they all share some basic methods. One of the basic methods that an inkjet printer utilizes is to propel miniature drops of ink out of their nozzles and onto blank paper in such a way as to form a pattern that will end up in an image. Normally, the part of the printer that holds these nozzles, called the print head, will move quickly across the paper, spraying ink. Then the paper will be moved a small distance, and the printer will travel over the paper once again. An image is formed from the small lines of ink.
Using An Inkjet Printer
When you first purchase a printer, you will need to hook it up to your computer. The majority of people use either a USB port or a parallel port, which should match up to the proper port on your computer. Once it is plugged in the printer will need to be synced up with the computer, however, most modern operating systems will either do this automatically or provide directions.
After the printer has been installed properly, it will then be able to print your documents and pictures from any program. Every so often you will need to replace the print cartridge when the old one runs out of ink. Because of the fact that these printer cartridges vary from printer to printer, you should keep in mind that you need to purchase the proper one to fit your model. Installation should be very easy and instructions should be included in the owner's manual.
Inkjet Printers Advantages and Disadvantages
Inkjet printers have various advantages over other printing technologies. Their functional operations are much cheaper and quieter, and they start up quicker than the majority of other printer technologies. The printers themselves are also often cheaper than other styles. The majority of them can output very high-quality images, where the majority of other printer technologies do not have this type of ability.
Unfortunately, inkjet printers often have trouble creating these higher quality images unless given specially treated paper, which is often costs more. The ink cartridges can also be very expensive, and are often incompatible with other printer models. The heads of an inkjet printer can sometimes be prone to clogging and flimsy as well.

In conclusion, due to the fact that inkjets use water-soluble ink, the output onto the paper has the potential to be smudged by even the smallest amount of water. The images have the potential to be blurred even by highlighter markers.

Technological Advances In Video Games

Technological Advances In Video Games

Your mobile phone, computer, living room, and practically everywhere else are overtaken by the video game storm. Not so long ago video games were just a fad with simplee physics-based games like Pong. But as video game technology has progressed, so too has the popularity and limits that are associated with games in today's society.
Can Artificial Intelligence Think Like Humans: Artificial intelligence isn't anything new; it was present every time you served a ball to the computer play in Pong. But what is new is the fact that artificial intelligence is starting to mimic human beings more and more every day.
In today's games, enemies will try war tactics such as flanking. They might try to throw a grenade when they can't get a clear visual of you. They'll help their own teammates to bring your life to an end. Sound familiar? This is something very similar to what we call real life warfare. With each passing year, AI is becoming increasingly intelligent. It's only a matter of time before humans are truly outsmarted in video games (by their own creations, no less!).
Physics in Today's Technology: If you were to jump, you'd expect to land back on the ground within a second or two, right? Well, this very action is associated with equations and formulas that scientists have developed. All that a video game developer needs to do is look at these equations and apply them to video games.
Physics in the original Pong are impressive. It shows well displayed geometry physics. But in today's video games, physics are becoming increasingly realistic. You might jump off a mountain, stumble, and get back up. You might get punched from an enemy, fall down, and try to turn the tides of the fight.
Some of the more interesting physics technology deals with lighting and water. How should light be refracted when it hits a liquid surface? And how would the sun's glare look underneath the ocean? These questions and more have been answered by video game developers for such games as Crises.
Graphical Upgrades in Video Games: Pong wasn't such a beautiful game. It didn't make use of complicated shade's, textures, or sprites found in all of today's modern games. As time has marched on, there have been vast improvements in how graphics are rendered on gaming platforms.
Part of the reason technology has allowed for better graphics is through hardware upgrades. With limited processors of the Pong era, not much action could take place before choppy performance would have been observed. With today's high-speed hardware, we can allow for more pixels, instructions, and shading to take place- sometimes on a massive scale.
Technology has recently allowed for game development to be accessible to anyone- even without a computer science degree! Tools such as the Microsoft XNA Framework allow developers to create video games in a much less time span- and without the need to know a lot of computer jargon.
Where is Video Game Technology Going? Technology 20 years ago looked like it was the cutting-edge of what was to come- and now look! How would you compare a game of Pong to today's 3D shooters? You couldn't, and we can only hope in another 20 years we will be thinking the very same thing. While we can't foresee the future- virtual reality is one topic that has been being developed much in recent years. Time will tell!

New Roofing Technologies

New Roofing Technologies

Imagine yourself sitting on your sofa, having a good time and then suddenly you look up and you see your roof. It looks pretty ordinary to you, unless you have an idea of the thought and the process that is put into it to make the perfect roof. The technology that is used to make roofs can seem to be very fascinating, because of the various innovations and inventions in the roof making techniques. During the 80s, the roofing techniques were limited to singular plies. The case is whole lot of different today due to the changing climatic conditions and demand for environment friendly roofs.
There is an emergence of new roofing technologies due to the varying demands of customers. People may consider alternative roofing techniques to suit their needs. It may be for making their homes look more attractive or adhering to the environment and using green rooftops. Some of the emerging roofing technologies include the following:
Cooling roof technology: The load of heat emitted by the sun can play a huge role in the roof's cooling system. Due to this, there is an immediate rise in the temperature thereby contributing to the cooling loads. Many technologies have been developed with respect to this problem such as using reflecting paints on the roofs, using more insulation, etc. However, there was a need for a technology that would help in blocking the heat and protection from the rains as well. Keeping these demands in mind, a new technology was developed known as the Night Sky. This technology takes care of all the cooling needs and successfully keeps out the rainwater from seeping through.
Green Rooftops: This technology was developed with a view to give a building or a home a more natural and serene look. Though this technique is more traditional, the modern green roofs are attaining popularity all over the world. Due to new inventions and innovations, green roofing has become a very easy task, even for your Average Joe. This roof have a more cooling effect and adds beauty to the structure of the house. These roofs also have a longer life compared to other roofs.

Metal Roofs: When you think about metal roofing, the first thing that comes to your mind is the unbearable noise it would make during rains. With the help of technology, metal roofs are becoming very popular, as it requires no maintenance at all. Modern metal roofs are placed over plies so that the noise is no longer a problem. Due to metal roofing, there is no problem with regards to mosses or algae during rains. Besides, even if your metal roofs become dirty, you can easily wash it with a garden hose.
SPF roofing: SPF is an acronym for spray polyurethane foam. It is the next generation roofing that can be characterized by its advantages. This roofing has a long life and it avoids the seepage of water as this roofing involves coating of several layers. Typically, two more layers are applied on top of the SPF, i.e., the base coat and the top coat. The topmost layer is coated with elastomeric coat.
Roofing technologies are constantly evolving in order to cater to the needs of customers. There are varieties of options available to make the roofing process easier with respect to installation, safety, etc. If more emphasis is given on the installation aspect, there is more scope for the development of roofing technologies.

Technology and Children

Technology and Children

If your children know more about technology and computers than you do, this message is for you. If your children or teenagers are nearby, now is the time to usher them out of the room because this is for your eyes only. If it’s not possible to read this in private right now, than be sure to bookmark this page and come back to it when you can read it without ‘inquiring minds’ hovering nearby. You’ll understand why in just a couple of minutes.
Do your young children or teenagers know more about technology and computers than you do? Do you scratch your head in amazement and utter confusion when your children discuss the latest and greatest technological advances that you know nothing about? How about this: Do you really know what your children or teenagers are doing while they are online? If that in itself doesn’t concern or worry you, it should.
Advances in technology play an ever-increasing role in our lives today, with much of it being positive, and it will only increase in the future. While there are great potential benefits with technology and computers for learning and discovery, there is also tremendous opportunity for misuse. According to the NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children), “early childhood educators (and parents) carry the responsibility to critically examine the impact of technology on children and be prepared to use technology to benefit children“.
That begs this question: How can the non techno-savvy parent “critically examine the impact of technology” on their children if they are clueless about technology and computers?
Parents may tell their children not to talk to strangers, not to open the door if they are home alone, and not to give out personal information to persons unknown. Parents often keep track of where their children are, who their friends are and where they live, etc. However, many parents do not understand or realize that this same attentiveness and supervision must include critical examination and supervision while their children and teenagers are online.
Children and teenagers are not protected by a parents assumption that online service providers are supervising and regulating what goes on in “chat rooms”, “news groups”, or social networking sites like My Space. Websites like My Space “require” users to be at least fourteen years old to join, however there is no way that My Space can verify the truthfulness of age. Therefore, someone who is well into their 30’s or even 50’s and older can easily pretend to be someone in your child’s age group and communicate with your child.
Educate yourself-Recently a news story was published about a young girl named Megan who was a victim of online bullying, which unfortunately lead her to commit suicide rather than continue struggling through this horrific ordeal. I dare say that if her parents’ were closely monitoring and supervising Megan’s online activities with the tremendous help of commercially available computer monitoring software, Megan would likely be alive today and her tormentors in jail where they belong.
“Get It? Got It? Good!” is a free download booklet on the topic “family guide on getting to grips with technology“. It’s an extremely useful booklet offered by a children‘s charity called NCH, full of information for the techno-challenged parent. You may even want to print off several copies for family and friends, or email them the link so they can benefit as well.
With personal effort and practice, parents can do much to ensure their children’s safety, and hopefully this has been a wake up call for you.

Contextual Advertising technology

Contextual Advertising

Have you ever wondered how the websites you look at end up having ads similar to the content that's on the page? Contextual advertising has been around for several years, and this form of advertising has gotten higher click-through rates for publishers because the advertisements are always within context. Basically, when you sign up for a contextual advertising network, you allow the network to place advertisements on your page. The network automatically scans your website, focuses on the keywords, and grabs contextual ads that are targeting the same keywords as your website. These contextual ads then appear on your page.
The reason contextual advertising works so well on websites is because the ad network uses an algorithm to pair websites with matching ads. An algorithm is the special technology utilized by search engines to bring a list of answers to a search topic based on keywords. Each algorithm is essentially a list of tasks the search engine must perform in order to bring back the results that were requested by the person using the search engine. Search engines use several algorithms at once to get the best results for every online search. Contextual ad networks use these same algorithms to match keywords and website content with similar pay per click ads.
One method to utilize contextual advertising on your website is through In Text pay per click ads. In Text ads like the ones offered through Info links show up as double-underlined links within the text of your website. They don't take up any extra space on your website, and they make a great addition to a traditional pay per click campaign that utilizes banner and image advertisements.
In Text advertisements also have a number of advantages over the traditional type of ads. For one thing, they're much less noisy and distracting. They also don't place any images on your website, which means you won't end up with advertisements you don't approve of. In Text ads are also a form of permission marketing, which means your website visitors choose whether or not they see the ads. A small bubble opens whenever they pass the mouse over the In Text ads. That bubble gives them just enough information to know if they're interested in the ad. Advertisers also give In Text contextual ads high scores because people are more likely to click on them because they've trained themselves not to notice the traditional banner ads.
Info links is an In Text advertising network that offers a smarter contextual advertising model for publishers worldwide. The Info links algorithm objective is to yield the highest exam possible, thus ensuring the highest revenue, guaranteed.

PPC Advertising - Technology

PPC Advertising - Technology

Pay per click advertising is a form of online advertising that allows you to earn some extra revenue through your website. You basically get paid every time someone clicks on one of the PPC ads that appear on your site. The pay per click ads show up as soon as you sign up for a pay per click network.
Thanks to advancements in technology, there's a new way to utilize pay per click advertising on your website. In Text ads are innovative and smart advertising for the 21st century. In Text ads are much quieter than noisy banner ads because they don't involve the placement of any images on your website. You never have to worry about any questionable images showing up on your website in the form of a pay per click ad. In Text ads are also entirely contextual, which means the links won't seem out of place to your website visitors. You can even change the way your In Text ads look by adjusting the underlining, font, and color of the links as they appear in your article.
In Text pay per click ads look more like a link than an advertisement, and they get more clicks on average than traditional PPC ads because of this new look. You can tell the difference between an actual link and an In Text ad because the ad has two lines under it instead of one. There's also a bubble that opens to show part of the PPC ad whenever a mouse cursor passes over it. That bubble gives the reader just enough information about the advertiser so he can decide if he wants to click on it.
Visitors to most websites usually respond well to In Text ads because they appreciate having more control over their online experience. Instead of forcing a banner ad down their throat, In Text ads rely on the permission of the reader. If she doesn't like what's in the bubble that pops up over the In Text PPC ad, then she doesn't have to click on it and view the ad.
You should research several PPC networks before you decide which one will work best for your website. Infolinks is one of many pay per click advertising networks that provide In Text PPC ads to websites of all sizes. Not all pay per click networks offer the option of In Text advertising, so you may want to sign up for one of each kind of pay per click network to maximize your online revenue.
Infolinks is an In Text advertising network that offers a smarter contextual advertising model for publishers worldwide. Infolinks uses the latest technology to increase your website revenue.

Video Advertising Technology

Video Advertising Technology

If you'd like to find out about online video advertising technology then you have perhaps already heard how powerful Web-videos are in getting your site noticed. No matter what your profession - you may be an online affiliate, a plumber, or a travel agent - Web-videos are the best way to attract the public to your site or blog; this can mean easier reformatting and ultimately increased profits… an increase in sales, and in subscribers, and more people seeing what your site has to offer them.
Keep in mind that various important methods and requirements are involved that you will have to become familiar with in order to find success on the web by using this specialized marketing utility. To start off, you'll have to understand how to transform your digital movies to web format, (most people haven't got a clue…), what settings are best for viewers to fully appreciate your video, the best method and more importantly the best location for your web video on an existing web page to make it as effective as it can be.
So, if you find yourself interested about online video advertising technology, then don't you want to know more about how at a very low budget you can create a video that can bring you thousands and even millions of visitors to your website? Just picture having that much more business, and don't worry, there's more to this than YouTube®… there are many other means to get all those free hits. First, you should realize, most people would choose watching movies over always having to read, and this is an outstanding opportunity you should take.
It's a very straightforward process, and it's not a big deal whether you have advanced knowledge of computers or are more of a beginner, it's just a matter of getting a simple and clear explanation of how to make this happen and then you can start enjoying your site's new popularity. Even if you just want to find out about online video advertising technology, spend a few moments reading this free manual; it contains all the information necessary to start creating your own professional Web-videos including reliable tips and techniques and the tools you'll need.

Modern Computer Technology

Modern Computer Technology

Technology is not only the light of the darkness way of our life but also the solution key of any problems and the improvement of our success. The touch of technology in the computer field is the surprising invention beyond our thinking. Today’s gift of the technology is amazing to us and it will be backdated tomorrow for the exponential improvement of technology.

Computer technology is not only being improved by the year to year but also improving day to day and for that reason the real invention of present was limited in thinking in the yesterday and today’s imagination will also be real tomorrow. As computer is formed by the synchronized accumulation of its two fields like hardware and software, the technology is also keeping his contribution significantly in these two fields for also making the computer as the great performer. With the advancement of computer technology the size of the computer is becoming smaller and more effective than the before.

The data storage capability of the computer is now limited to the megabyte and usually it extends to the gigabyte to terabyte and in this way modern computer is the world within a world. Hard disc, DVD discs and removal discs are such kinds of memory storage device those are now small in size and more capable than the before. Instructions executor of computer are known as the computer processor which is more powerful now because of the invention of modern technology. Modern computer technology has now combined two, four, eight or more core in a single processor to get the extreme performance and these kinds of processor are known as the dual core, core-2-dual, core-2-quad and core-2-extreme in the market. These types of processor are 2, 4, 8 and even 16 times fasted to process data. The cash memory and the bus speed are also not limited to the kilobyte and it is extended to the megabyte now. With these basic elements, the other component of the computer is becoming greater performer and effective those were only in imagination a few days ago.
The period has gone away to use bulky part and over weighed tools for the setup of your computer. LCD monitor has solved these kinds of problems and it is comfortable to our eye for the filter technology that filters the harmful ray emitting from the monitor.

The most advantageous gift of the modern computer technology is the laptop computer which is small in size and flexible to use it. The producer of this product have also tried to accumulate the advantages of the modern technology like Blue tooth, web came and such as such.
The modern processor, monitor and the overall computer are low power consuming and more effective. The RAM of the computer is the helper of processor which is used as the primary memory for analyzing code instruction or software and the memory size of RAM now exceeds to single gigabyte. Software, usually open source software are being improved too rapidly which give us the new features day by day. Popular and user friendly operating system like Windows operating system is updating with great features to satisfy the requirements of the users. Open source software and operating system like Linux give you the update time to time and you can add features as you like. For these great features computer is said to be the wonder of science and modern computer technology is the successor of that wonders.

Technology and the Human Race

Technology and the Human Race

The human race has indeed gone far with technology. From the age when he still used wooden and stone tools to a powerful era of silicon and steel, he ceased to be a helpless prey to a number of predators to become a god among beasts. And now, technology and human way of life have somewhat become inseparable. Everywhere we look, we see its manifestations—from the largest aircraft to the smallest microcomputer chip. Some even cannot do without their gadgets beside them. Technology has become a beast of burden of our time—doing things we usually do in the past, like an able servant at his master’s side, ready to help him whenever need arises. Man created technology to serve this purpose, so that he can then face the more challenging problems ahead. But what if this technology, by all means, becomes uncontrollable by human hands? What if this beast of burden eventually becomes a monster? Could this same technology, which has brought us to a state of luxury and civilization, also lead us to our own ruin? From the evolution of military weapons, to the advent of the nuclear age, man is gradually realizing the fact that his little creation would someday take him to the very edges of his capacities. But despite all this, this fact still holds true: that however powerful it could become, technology is still just one of man’s tools, and will remain as such. It’s still up to is possessor on how he will apply the power he possesses—whether as a tool of progress, or an element of destruction. It may have brought people closer together, but not necessarily on friendly terms. It has brought us times of peace, as well as wars and struggles; it has brought us great prosperities, as well as dismal catastrophes. And now, the environment is being trampled, and people blame technology for it. Countless wars have sprung, they say technology is the culprit; animals are being led to extinction, and they say technology is the one accountable of all. Through technology, we have created and developed new beginnings, at the cost of many end. Yet, technology should never be blamed for all of this, but the wrong use of it. The effect of technology on our surroundings is the complete reflection of our values. Therefore, we should develop the proper culture so as to effectively administer this technology that we have. We should prove to be worthy of its possession, for technology and corruption is a bad combination.

Technology and Education

Technology and Education

Technology has completely changed the way mankind works. It has become an integral part of our lives and basic movements of man are now solely dependent upon technology. Technology has prepared mankind to work faster, smarter and allows the brain to concentrate on other exciting and challenging goals and milestones. The last decade is dedicated to the workmanship of technology and its impact on the human race has given us sleeker cell phones, Internet mobility on personal computers that can now fit in purses and an extensive database of knowledge called the Internet. There is no avenue that technology has not touched. The complete workforce of mankind now works with technology. Thousands of industries and organizations around the world are now reaping the benefits of technology. And the education system is no exception to the rule. Technology has advanced and honed policies, streamlined academic activity and provided extensive reporting that was never possible before. Unique systems are now available in the market that immediately notify parents if their child or children arrive late at school and allow teachers to remotely send homework and grade papers online. Students across the world now search and prepare term papers all from simple browsing the Internet at home or libraries. The basic principles of knowledge have not changed but the very edifice of obtaining and teaching has been revolutionised by technology. Other benefits of technology in the education arena are the administration functionality that technology provides. It allows colleges and universities to monitor thousands of students at one given go and allow hundreds of students to register classes that are suitable to the teachers and the students by the click of a mouse. Elementary and high schools can use sophisticated voice mails to update parents of the progress of the updates of their children. Technology has also been able to successfully deploy dedicated networks across intranets within college domains to share documents and reports. The primal goal of these communications servers are designed to streamline information and messaging within the school system’s administrative and teaching community. This type of system can also help facilitate communications between various designated groups, clubs, the entire student body, and parents. Through this, everyone can stay better informed of special events and check the system frequently for any updates or changes that may have occurred. All student games, activities and personal information of students can be stored and retrieved at any given time by school officials. The other important benefit of technology in the education sector is the exponential increase in enrollment due to the availability of online courses. People do not have to be physically available to take part in an important meeting or class across the world. Simple bandwidth connectivity will do the job and allow thousands of people in one global sphere to easily communicate with people in dispersed areas.

Small Business and Technology

Small Business and Technology

Traditional business management has had to make room for a new facet of business: technology. Through the years traditional business management has had to marry its strategies with the proliferation of technology where every business owner from Starbucks to Jim's Auto has had to incorporate technology into its everyday operations.
The problem is that in the late nineties business believed technology was going to be the solution for every business problem, but it wasn't until recently that business managers realized that technology will fail if not implemented properly. That is, traditional business management must seamlessly marry itself with technology.
Traditional business management is pretty self-explanatory; it's managing business through traditional methods that have been used for many years. Traditional business management takes into account all aspects of running a business, large or small. Whether it is a million-dollar company or a billion-dollar company, all companies run the same. Those traditional methods incorporate three aspects of business: sales and marketing strategies, efficient operation and production methods, and manageable finances (SG&A). I believe all businesses should pay attention to these areas of business management.
So, now you have this traditional business model to think of, and you also have to think that the model has incorporated technology. You see, managing a business is not as easy as it sounds, and I know you have never looked at your business in this way before.
Believe it or not, graduate schools teach this stuff and larger companies obviously have the money to pay someone to think of this stuff. But most businesses do make the mistake in believing technology will solve all of their business problems. This is simply not true; technology cannot solve every business problem.
Many large corporations install and implement technology as quickly and arbitrarily as they would a new desk or a new lamp, not taking into consideration the stress new technology places on both business processes and human nature. Humans inherently do not like change, especially at the work place where they might feel as they might lose their job or were not consulted in helping determine which technology is best for their task or function.
Business processes do not like change either as the processes a business must go through to operate are much more complex than people might think. Most technology consultants want to "go live" with their implementation as soon as they can so they can share the praise of a successful launch. What most technology consultants don't realize is that their eagerness to "sell" the job puts a business in a precarious operational bind.
It only makes sense to understand that as technology can be customized and most business processes cannot, basic technology implementations will hurt a business' process as opposed to helping.
Some of the technology solutions out there can be very complex and some can be very simple. For example, I recently helped a client realize that developing a method of capturing labor time per phase of each of their projects allowed them to better understand and account for costs associated to labor and materials, per project. This allowed their sales team better cost data related to profit margins required per project. Initially the client was looking to spend money on purchasing one of those electronic card readers that each of his employees would have to swipe as they moved from station to station. We were able to solve his process issue at half the cost of that electronic clock by simply creating a custom process document from Microsoft Excel. The fact that the clock was not customizable would require the business processes to change just to accommodate the clock.
In this case we are trying to convey the importance of understanding your business and its processes before you move into technology. It is less expensive and less burdensome on your business processes. What we accomplished in the case above was that we were able to 'tweak' the business processes at will, where had we purchased the clock, we would have been forced to comply with what the clock required, not the business.
In the late nineties the hype of technology and the Internet fueled the belief that plugging technology into your business or developing your business around technology was the best way to run a business. A great example was Web Van and Home Grocer.
These companies spent over a hundred-million venture capital dollars building the infrastructure that was going to give them the warehouse space to buy food products to fill all the customer orders that were to come via the Internet.
The mistake was that the company put all of its money into the assumption that its idea would work because the American grocery shopper was ready to buy groceries online via state-of-the-art technology. The orders never came.
Actually, the orders did come; the problem was that both companies were in so much debt because they couldn't generate interests in their business model and they went out of business.
Today, the traditional grocery chains such as Albert son's and Von's in the western U.S. have capitalized on earlier business models and realized their traditional way of doing business could was a great foundation to build their technology around their current processes.
I had the privilege of touring the Web Van warehouse in Oakland, California. It was impressive. If I remember correctly, it was an 80,000 square foot building equipped with a technologically advanced conveyor belt system worth millions of dollars. It looked like the inside of a United Parcel Service (UPS) warehouse, but much more expensive. For those who have never seen the inside of a UPS warehouse, it is just a bunch of conveyor belts.
Interestingly, about 50 people were milling around the Web Van warehouse; their main task was making sure the computers were pulling the right products and putting them on the conveyor belts. Great operation, but they ran out of money after just a little over a year. So, what failed here, technology or money? Lack of money failed at Web Van, and lack of money fails almost every business that goes out of business. Lack of money fails business due to lack of business knowledge.
Business owners, make sure that you understand technology and that it can be customized and should be customized to meet your business process requirements. You can see the most successful implementation of technology in companies such as Wail-Mart and Toyota and we can see failures in technology such as Web Van.
We make sure we know how our business operates and what those operations require when making your businesses more efficient and effective. We look at understanding what your business requires before we recommend technology. In the long run, you'll spend less and profit more.