Commanding Information Technology

Communications
Today, all over the World, communications technology is undergoing breath-taking changes. Every three to five years, new devices and systems make old ones obsolete and inefficient both in terms of performance and costs. The convergence of computers in communication field has facilitated the emergence of new services and systems.
For commanding Information Technology, it is necessary first to understand the process of change in Communications technology then the future of communication technology that a PR practitioner should master to use.
Process of change in communication Technology
The state-of-the art in relation to PR technology in today's changing society depends mainly on the availability of skill, the experience, the experience, the understanding and the wisdom of the PR practitioner. The use of sophisticated tools that modern science is bringing via advanced technology might bring some quick result. But a better understanding of the situation and the ability to apply all technology-based strategies correctly can alone bring about lasting solution of PR problems. Some of the challenges of today's PR Practitioners in the process of change in communication technologies are :-

Speed and instant nature of communication technologies is a challenge today. Any important event that is taking place at any part of the world, is available to us instantly through the speed of electronic media. Whether our Prime Minister is addressing the United Nations or attending a function abroad, or the cricket match being played at any part of the world is available to us instantly. It is really a challenge to us as a communicator to cope up with such instantly situations.
Changes lies in the areas of modernisation of Information Technology. Much changes in Information Technology is going to happen in the next few years. In the process, a large many PR practitioners shall have to keep pace with the latest changes in Information Technology.
Satellite communication is likely to push away the print media and "it is a challenge to PR practitioners."
Today we have the invasion of of Satellite Television. The Satellite Technology and the advent of multichannel television are bringing the world closer. Surely, it has important consequences for the PR practitioners who shall have to change their pace to go together. With the present background of Satellite TV, the PR practitioners must took at excellence in the PR profession.
Today networks of companies are interlinked for sharing of information, and the corporate communications technologies are increasingly used in organisational intelligence. Hence, the PR practitioners shall have to keep them updated with the technological upswing that come faster in the informations technology.
Through the use of Internet, the Corporate message is becoming primary feature whereas the Brand Messages which was even yesterday was the prime consideration, is becoming secondary in nature today.
Colourful and lively presentation of today, both in electronic and print media, is becoming the way of life and it is again a challenge to all of us.

Society is always in the process of change and the pace of change is becoming more rapid every day. The modern technology, therefore, needs to be applied in Public Relations for a better grasp of the many emerging problems in nation's economic, social and political environment. Under this changing environment the state-of-the-art to commanding communications technology means the kind of change the technology is undergoing and the direction in which it is moving. With the ability to understand the nature of the changing scenario, the PR practitioner can give the right advice to the Management and can formulate programmes and strategies that are likely to yield the desired corporate result.
With the modernisation and technological upgradation, the expectation of the work force are also changing and increasing. The society as a whole has too become demanding. These changing and increasing expectations of the employees and the public at large, have made the task of the PR practitioners more challenging and PR will have to play a crucial role to meet these situations.
India has soared into high communication technologies and is touching the edge of an information society. The modernisation of telecommunication technologies have considerable widened the field of Public Relations. The Information and Communication technology today presents many advanced and practical tools to the PR practitioners. These technological progress demands a content search for new answers to problems. The need of the hour therefore, is the intensive education on professionalism across the Public Relations fraternity and a concerted bid to demonstrate the utility of this discipline as a Management Function and PR discipline.
What is an information Highway ?
Now the buzz work in telecommunications is `Information Highways'. The advance is technology have fuelled the growth and realisation of info-highways worldwide. Information highways may be categorised as those networks capable of carrying multiple channels simultaneously, each channel handling different data types with unnoticeable delay and no deformation of data. Data can be of audio, video, images, text etc. With the present technology, a few hundreds of kilobits second bandwidth is required to carry the mixed data of audio, video and text. Thus it may be conveniently said that an `Information Highway' is the network with the links carrying datarate of 1 Mbps or more. Supper highways may be classified may be classified as networks with link data rates of 8 Mbps or more. Information highways can be implemented using a variety of media such as satellite, fibre optics, coaxial cables etc.
Availability of good infrastructure is the basic need for economic as well as social growth of any country. Power, transport and telecommunications are among the basic infrastructure sectors. While well laid roads are required for food transportation, telecommunications are important for transporting information. This is information age. Right information at right time at right place has created many developed nations in the world.
Information technology helps in collecting, facts, figures, data and disseminate it more quickly over a wider area. The information can be stored and retrieved when required anywhere. The technology has enabled us to conquer time and space. It was to democratise information and more people have access to wide-ranging information.
FUTURE COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES THAT A PR PRACTITIONER SHOULD MASTER TO USE ARE :-
Internet-a Window To Global Information superhighway
The Internet is a worldwide network of networks. It is a conglomeration of smaller networks and other connected machines spanning the entire globe.
The Internet is not the only way you can log into and browse a network system. Information is also available to you through commercial network packages, like bulletin board services, you buy from department stores, or network systems that come pre-installed when you buy your computer.
While these commercial packages provide you with their own proprietary network and services, they do not give you breadth and variety information that full Internet Services can offer. Reports show that use of these commercial networks is shrinking as people flock to the network that is fast becoming the network of choice. It is entertaining and educational for use at home. It makes good business sense for companies.
Internet, the world's largest of computers is today increasingly being commercialised. The use of Internet is moving away from pure university network to network connecting millions of computers many of which belong to companies using Internet for commercial purposes. Information on the Internet and opportunities to use it are growing at a phenomenal rate.
From home, Internet can be used to exchange electronic mail instantly with friends or family, such as a student away at college, to participate in group discussions on topics that interest everyone, through public news groups or bulletin boards, to find educational tools. Universities around the world, book stores, libraries, and K-12 school systems are sharing online informations. To entertain-it is fun and easy to spend an hour surfing form one topic to another, to shop - commercial electronic store forms are growing in number. Flowers, music, and computer equipments can be ordered over the Internet ant to read about interesting sports and leisure events. etc.
Form business standpoint, the Internet can be invaluable to get technical support for anyone using products, distributing software, providing technical support, providing information to customer, publishing information such as technical such as technical or marketing literature, communicating or collaborating on projects, market and selling products, accessing the business while away form the office etc.
In India, VSNL has drawn up an ambitious plan to provide full range of Internet Services on all India basis connecting its main Internet Access Node at Mumbai to Internet Node at USA via satellite Media and to Internet Node in Europe via submarine cable, media, providing diversity and highly reliable Network Connectivity.
Gateway Internet Access Services of VSNL would enable subscribers to log into databases, send e-mail, read news, down load files remotely run programs on distant hosts and ranges of other applications.
The types of uses to which an Internet connection can be put to is continuously getting enhanced with the availability of Hypertext information, Worldwide Web, Video and Audio files. The following are some of the common uses of the net:
E-mail, the e-mail is the single most important reason to use the Internet. you type a message into your computer, and it travels instantly over the network to whomever you wish.
USENET, While mail lets you send a message to specific person or group, network news lets you send a message on an electronic bulletin board for any one to see. Usenet is the International meeting place, where people gather to meet their friends, discuss the day's events, keep up with computer trends or talk about whatever on their mind. Jumping into a Usenet discussion can be a liberating experience. Both mail and news are extremely useful Internet tools. In fact, more people use them any other Internet utility.
TELNET Telnet is a utility which will allow you to log-on another system and use various services available on that cost. you can TELNET into huge databases to do research or even TELNET into libraries around the world to check if they have a certain book that you are looking for. TELNET also offers an easy entry into the would of Gophers and the Worldwide Web for those people who may otherwise have access to these tools.
FTP File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a toll as the name suggest to copy files from remote host to your host and vice versa.
Hundreds of systems connected to the Internet have file libraries, or archives accessible to the Public. Much of this consists of free or low cost computer program for virtually every make of computer.
There are also libraries of documents as well, if you want a copy of recent US Supreme Court decision, copies of historical documents, song lyrics, poems and even summaries of every Animaniacs episode ever made. You can also find extensive files detailing everything you could possible want to know about the Internet.
ARCHIE, Wouldn't it be is great if there was some sort of `Search' program that would look through hundreds of different anonymous FTP sites and tell us where all of the files that we want are located ?
Well, such a search program exist, it is called "Archie".
Archie is actually a collection of servers. Each of these servers is responsible for keeping track of file locations in several different anonymous FTP sites. All of the Archie Servers talk to each other and they pool their information into a huge, global database that is periodically updated. you can search this database for the locations simply by giving an Archie client or server a keyword to search for.
GOPHER, Gopher was developed at the University of Minnesota, and it is a menudriven application that allows you to hop around the globe looking for information in various information libraries or servers. Gopher's interconnected menus allow you to "burrow" deeper and deeper until you find the information that you are looking for.
Now imagine if THOUSANDS of these specialised libraries were interconnented. That is what Gopher does, and all of these interconnected Gopher libraries make up what is called "Gopherspace".
Why is Gopher so special ? Well, unlike Archie which just tells you where the information that you want can be found, Gopher actually goes, out, GETS the information that you want, and puts the information on your computer screen! You could even say that Gopher actually "goesfor" the information that you want.
VERONICA Bouncing around Gopherspace, finding neat files and leaving bookmark, is fun for a while, soon, however, you are going to want to find a way to locate stuff in Gopherspace a little more quickly.
That is where Veronica comes in. Veronica-Very-Easy, Redent-Oriented, New Wide Index to Computer Archives-is a search tool that allows you to quickly scan Gopherspace for particular files and directories.
Veronica is a program that you access through Gopher. Veronica ask you to enter a keyboard and it then searches through a database of over 5500 Gopher and over 10 million Gopher items for files and directories whose titles contain your keyboard.
What makes Veronica REALLY amazing that it not only finds these files and directories, it also GETS all of these files and directories and place them on a temporary Gopher menu that you can brows through! This temporary menu works just like any other Gopher menu!
WORLD WIDE WEB(WWW)
Because Gopher menus are linked together,a whole world of information is available to use with just a few keystrokes! Imagine if we were able to take these links one step further. Instead of linking menus,we could link `DOCUMENTS' together. You could read one document, find keyword in that document that really interests you, touch that keyword,and automatically be taken to a NEW document somewhere else in the world-and this new document could even have links to OTHER documents around the world and so on.
Thanks to something called "Hypertext". The World-wide Web is based on Hypertext. It is possible for you to go roaming around the web, bounding from document to document, using nothing but the links in those documents!
Just as you can access Gopherspace through a Gopher server or client, you can access the Web through something called a"browser". A browser can read documents,fetch documents, access files by FTP, read Usenet news group,Telnet into remote sites and even travel around Gopherspace.In short, everything that we have talked about earlier can be done using nothing but a Web browser!
MOSAIC A web browser, Mosaic brings the way we use the Internet into a new era. It provides an easy way to reach audio, video, text and graphics.
WAIS is the name of the Wide Area Information System developed by a Company called Thinking Machines. When you type in a word or topic, a WAIS server scans Internet libraries. It returns a master index providing links to all the sites related to your request. The index is weighted, identifying which links are most closely related to the topic.
There are WAIS programs that work independently of the Web. You can reach these programmes through special gateway software available on many Web Pages,which lets you do Powerful WAIS Search within Mosaic.
Because the Internet is electronic, changes can be made to reflect late breaking news that would be impossible for printing publications. Changes becomes easier, updates are simpler and information is instant.
Gateway Packet Switched Service(GPSS)
A packet switched network is designed to meet the specific needs of subscriber requiring terminal-to-terminal, terminal-to-host and host-to-host date communication. In a packet switched network, a sender's data is divided into blocks of data called packets. Each packet includes an address along with header and control information for routing purposes.
The GPSS network is expressly provided for date transmission. It opens your world of data communications. It communicate data fast, efficiently and cost effectively.
GPSS is ideal for accessing information from data bases. It helps to keep information search and retrieval costs down. The interactive applications of GPSS are such as travel reservations,credit checks and point-of-sale systems.
International digital Leased Line Service
The modern business world is becoming increasingly dependent upon the speedy and frequent movement of market or transaction based information. Throughout the world, dedicated data networks have emerged to meet the need to the information society.
International Digital Leased Line service is the high speed pathways for your international business. These are suitable for bulk users who have large communication requirements between two specific points on round the clock basis.
It is the hotline that is essential for the success of your international corporate operations. With high speed digital circuits, it is possible to transfer large volumes of information quickly from one location to another. It provide you to combine a variety of telecommunications applications, including the transmission of digitised voice, high speed data, high speedfax,and graphics or video phones. They are ideal for building integrated networks to serve variety of functions within a wide area network of an organisation.Data, Voice and Image signals can be transmitted simultaneously or alternatively through a dedicated channel.
Global Managed Data Service(GMDS)
Globalisation is fast changing the way companies compete. Globalisation is bringing the threat of new, bigger international competitors. For an increasing number of companies, competing globally is becoming a necessity, not a choice.
International data networks have played a crucial role in actually creating global markets. Circulating information quickly and efficiently reduces product time to market, cuts costs and makes an organisation more responsive to rapid market changes. Together, these factors create a global competitive advantage. Many multinational companies have created their own international data networks.
GMDS is a fully managed integrated data communications service which delivers seamless end-to-end global networking designed for today's most demanding multinational business requirements. GMDS is the solution for companies that need to keep ahead through the use of advanced communications technology.
Gateway Electronic Mail Service (GEMS)
GEMS is India's premier E-mail service.It is your communication gateway to global messaging.
In today's competitive world, organisations both large and small need to be able to threads respond quickly to new opportunities and the need of their customers. Efficient methods of communications are essential for business today.
Electronic mail is changing the way companies do business. Communications via GEMS results in convenience, speed, confidentiality and economy. It provides inter-personal messaging and computer file transfer, supports the quest for increased competitiveness. It supports Store and Forward Fax-message delivery.
GEMS means better communication and a new kind of business tool. It means better business solutions-information can be sent or received instantaneously to make better decisions on sales, forecasts, prices etc. It enables you to implement marketing programmes with greater precision.
For Press Release, financial update and other corporate communications - e mail can increase the efficiency and effectiveness of Public Relations Programmes.
Inmarsat Service
Until recently, the international telecommunications network have been unable to provide reliable communications for people while on move in vehicle-truck, car, bus, train or ship,or while travelling long distances or in remote areas. Now Inmarsat (International Maritime Satellite Organisation) offers a comprehensive range of services to meet to needs of a vast range of users for commercial, distress and safety applications at sea, in the air and on land.
Inmarsat-C terminal can be easily mounted in any vehicle/vassel to provide instant communications between the driver and base or outside world,. Briefcase sized versions of Inmarsat-C make it easy for people travelling to areas with unreliable telecommunications to contact their offices, customers, data bases in the field.
When national disasters like earthquakes and hurricanes leave telecommunications infrastructure in ruins, Inmarsat-C can be used to establish instant communications with the outside world for local authorities or rescue services.
At sea, things sometimes go wrong, then you need fast communications. The global maritime distress and safety systems meets regularly communications requirements for ship operating in almost all parts of the world.
Inmarsat provides the whole range of Global Mobile Satellite Communications Services for commercial, distress and safety applications at sea, in the air and on the land.
Video Conference Service
Video conferencing is the new business communications tool. It helps companies to manage the business environment and its key challenges economically.
Meetings are the lifeblood of every business.Whether to exchange information, reviewing performance, checking on the progress of a project, making a presentation or discussing strategy, there is often no substitute for a face-to-face conference.
But meeting can be difficult to arrange and expensive specially when long distance travel is involved. However, there is an alternative. An alternative that not only cuts out the cost and wasteful time on travel, but lets you set up meetings without usual delays.The alternative is video conferencing. Video conferencing allows people in different locations, within India and overseas to meet fact to face. It is almost like being in the same room, even thought the participants might be hundreds or even thousands of miles apart. People involved in their first video conferencing are always surprised at how easy and natural it is. It takes all of two minutes to get used to the situation and from then on it is like being in an ordinary meeting.
By now, many companies have already discovered video conferencing trends to produce highly efficient meetings. Because the facilities are booked for an agreed period, people usually come well prepared and stick to the business under discussion.
Iridium-the future of Global Wireless Communications
Iridium will be the "market definer" for the future of global wireless communications. Iridium system is the first in a new generation of space-based telecommunications system, to offer subscribers world-wide portable wireless telephone services. For the first time ever, a customer will have total global access to make and receive calls anywhere on earth with one phone, one number and one bill. Moreover, Iridium will be only service to offer true global roaming across multiple cellular systems and standards still with the simplicity of one phone, one number, one bill and will be only communication company to offer a customer full global coverage for any type of messaging - voice, data, fax or paging. Subscribers will be able to make or receive calls over either satellite or land-based wireless system as they travel while maintaining a single number and single telephone. Satellite linked electronic communications has become the key medium and a password for information management in the 21st Century.
Smart Cards - Towards a Cash-less Society
Information technology has reduced the usage of paper to a great extent. The developments in semiconductor electronics has made it possible to bundle a micro-controller, memory and associated electronics and package into a small card which looks like a credit card. his "Smart Card" is the electronic purse containing electronic cash. Smart Cards and ultimately pave way for a "cashes society". An employee's salary is credited to the bank, bank issues a smart card and the smart card can be used to make all purchases at retail stores, at airlines/railway booking offices, at hotels, restaurants etc. The telecom industry is the first one to recognise and exploit the potential of smart cards -for payphones. The first generation of public payphones is based on coins. But the coin payphones have many disadvantages for users, getting coins is a problem and carrying coins is a nuisance. Today the smart card technology has matured and become so cost effective that the day of magnetic stripe cards are numbered and majority of future payphones will be based onsmart cards.
Sports/Broadcasting via INTERNET
Through INTERNET, the common people can tune to their favourite sporting events, live, on anyone of the several channels. There are several challenges in covering the sporting events like Olympic Games, for the audience. Journalists need an efficient method to file their reports, direct from the sports arena. Broadcast of sporting events calls for pulling out previous performance and records of related events. This involves appropriate data base creations, maintenance and instant access. Further, colour to the presentation can be added by rendering a recording of the events connected with the statistics being presented.It will be necessary to maintain an archive of audio video and data pertaining to various events. Internet and worldwide web technology adequately answers these requirements.
Broadcasting on the Internet has made possible sending video and audio signals round the globe without the use of transmitter and antenna. Live video and audio on the Internet are now being widely used by the news and entertainment broadcasters and a growing number of other content providers to improve the power and impact of their messages.
Multimedia Communications
Multimedia communication is integrating communication media to convey information. Multimedia enables anywhere, based on the user's choice of speech, music messages, text, data, images, video and animation. Multimedia brings together the network capabilities of telecommunications with the intelligence of computers and the variety of the entertainment industry.
There are three powerful trends contributing to the rapid growth of multimedia. The first one is the continual digitization of network communications and information content. Second, computing power continues to increase at decreasing cost. Finally, technology and economics even environmental factors have stimulated people's readiness to substitute networked solutions to travel.
Towards Personal Communication area
In not too-distant a future, a user will avail of data, voice and other specialised services via a portable handset and a personal card. A personal communication user of the future who works in an office with microcellular coverage for normal services using a small portable handset can make use of the same for fax, data and other specialised applications by attaching it, or personal card therein, to a specialised terminal. In the evening when the future user is commuting home, he can attach the portable handset to a macrocellular access point in his car or carries it with him when walking across the mall. Finally, at home the terminal is plugged to the home connection point for fixed services or carried around for cordless application. Once again capability exists for specialised services by plugging the cordless handset, or portable personal card therein, to corresponding access point. This is the concept of personal communication for which developments are progressing in many countries.
Conclusion
Today, the world's leading companies face a global business challenge. In an increasingly competitive global environment, how can we manage and control our expanding worldwide operations? The answer to this critical question lies in those company's ability to build a communications infrastructure that delivers the same products, services and management process anywhere in the would.
While new markets bring new opportunities, they also bring new competition. The communications revolution means competitors can move into new markets quickly and at extremely low cost. The winners new competitors and markets, meet customer expectations, and continue to grow. Business must be able to maintain and improve communications with customers, suppliers, employee and partners. They must provide their customers with the same services in every country and enable them to monitor and manage their services the way they want and need. The rapid pace of change in technology means that the business are looking to communication suppliers to provide state-of-the-art facilities and world, will be key competitive advantage.
In the present scenario of the liberalisation of economy, and the globalisation of Indian markets where only the fittest can survive in these days of competition, the organisations, which have command and control over the communications technologies, will have surely the better competitive advantages.