Office Automation for the 21st

Office Automation for the 21st Century

Business process automation is taking the corporate environments by storm. Technology components skillfully replacing manual processes work to reduce costs, increase efficient operations, and reduce those risks inherent with human process management.

Our office employs J2EE (a Java 2 platform) to build iterative and cyclic engine-driven solutions. Having had a market pare-down - as is common in today's marketplace - the company opted for reduction in operating costs and increasing shareholder confidence; enter business process automation.

J2EE Advantages

Java engine-driven processes reduce the time-consuming and laborious process of manual handling, data entry, and error prone business management. J2EE allows for uniformity across operational platforms, thereby eliminating the variety of manual assessment and handling issues which arrive when humans manage large volumes of data.

J2EE improves the error-prone validation process; often business management processes are built as much on personal preference and emotion as a strong business model. When this technology is employed and coded, the decisions are set and variation is unknown. Additionally, J2EE creates a rapid and accurate automation process, saving time and money in today's marketplace.

Best Practices

Developed by Sun Microsystems, the Java technology operates on a phenomenal premise: build a tool or system and it will manage the process across any platform without the need for additional software, firmware, or hardware. Several features make this an excellent choice - presentation tiers handle client interaction, communication protocols can range from HTML to the ever-more desirable XML.

J2EE Disadvantages

There is only one disadvantage when opting for Java-based enterprise solutions; the team upon which you rely to build the engines. Demanding more and more specialized skills, today's marketplace has a wide variety of solution requirements. It is a costly, but well invested process as long as the developers have up-to-the-minute coding skills. Without these skills, the average Java programmer will be left foundering in the newly emergent world of business automation; the surge in Internet purchasing is testament to the demand and complexity involved.

Group Collaboration Tools

When a group requires on-the-fly, secure, and convenient collaboration, J2EE is an excellent host. Our office uses Orchestra - a web-based communication initiative and ultimate collaborative solution.

Web-based Collaboration Software Advantages

When using a web-based collaboration environment; several highly useful tools are made available to all involved. These can include whiteboard displays and file saves, instant messaging in synchrony and real-time, accessible at all times, proactive data 'pushes' to the recipients - replacing the passive 'search and grab' technology of the 1990's.

Flexibility, scalability, and accessibility are three of the most important factors when designing a communication portal for experts and participants in any business arena.

Web-based Collaboration Software Disadvantages

The inherent disadvantages to the tools we use in our environment are few. Site licenses are not available since it is managed over the Internet - thereby incurring monthly expenses. Most importantly, however, is the potential for the loss or theft of proprietary information; files left unprotected can end up in the hands of competitors and countries where damage can be placed on all parties.

Summary

The emergence of high-form technology is one of the historical markers for the Information Age. For this technology to be effective, however, one must weigh the costs - personal, financial, enterprise-wide, and societal - and bear them carefully and with intelligence.