Benefits of Information Technology for Small and Large Businesses
By Antoine Chaya
Information technology (IT) professional Antoine Chaya maintains responsibilities as senior director of strategic accounts for the Oracle Corporation. While earning his PhD from the Georgia Institute of Technology, Antoine Chaya collaborated with assistant professor Sabyasachi Mitra to author an article about IT spending by businesses that was published in the Journal of Management Information Systems. Depending on the size of a business, IT can result in different types of positive effects. For a larger business, IT is a necessity, as it is relied on for such functions as scheduling and communication between separate offices and departments. Additionally, IT saves both money and physical space when company information can be stored electronically. Along with achieving cost savings, small businesses can benefit from the way that IT accommodates a tighter budget. While new, smaller businesses may not have the funding to employ a marketing team, IT makes reaching a target audience simpler via online tools. Marketing materials can be generated using video and graphics software, and advertising can be a click away from consumers using applications like Google AdWords. Additionally, certain IT software allows businesses to perform many services in-house that were previously outsourced, such as payroll.