The office automation It comprises the set of tools, techniques and applications that have the function of facilitating, optimizing and improving office-related tasks. For example: databases, calculators, printers.
To the extent that most of the work carried out in Western societies is organized in the form of offices, a whole theoretical building has been organized to be able to optimize the times and the distribution of tasks within that space: the essence is in the use of computer processes, making the concept an acronym composed of both words: ‘offi‘ (office) – ‘matic‘ (computing).
What is office automation for?
The process of office automation is based on the creation, manipulation, transmission and storage of the necessary information in the office.
It is known that currently the most useful for these purposes is to use computer networks, which need both a software structure (internal networks, programs for communication between different parts of the office) and a hardware structure (computers, printers, scanners connected via a local area network, telephones and fax machines).
The communication Through the information technology, it allows sharing in a much faster and more efficient way what was previously completely mediated by manual skill, transforming itself from the generalization of computers in a matter of seconds.
History of office automation
Office automation was developed fundamentally from the seventies, in which the office began to be understood as a space whose conditions largely determined the product of work.
The replacement of typewriters by tools of word processing, in addition to saving a large amount of space, it was making any process that involved writing much more efficient.
In the same sense, many activities that were previously carried out manually, began to be automated depending less and less on human action.
Currently, organizations take as essential the existence of automated and efficient communication mechanisms. The exchange of information, the management of administrative documents, the processing of numerical data and the planning of meetings as well as the administration of work schedules seems impossible to be carried out in the absence of computerized office procedures, which is evidenced by many Sometimes when companies have problems of access to electricity or the Internet: dependency is such that in the absence of these services, activity is completely paralyzed.
Office automation packages
There are a lot of office automation packages, also called Suites, which are usually made by the developers of the operating systems themselves.
Currently most organizations use the system of Microsoft Office, but some other developments stand out for fulfilling some function that Office does not take care of successfully: OpenOffice, Sun StarOffice, Lotus SmartSuite, Corel WordPerfect or AppleWorks, the latter related to alternative operating systems to Windows.
Examples of office automation tools
- Word processing.
- Spreadsheet development.
- Multimedia presentation tools.
- Databases.
- Agendas.
- Fax equipment.
- Calculators
- Phones.
- Printer.
- E-Mail Programs
- Programming software.
- Multimedia presentations.
- Voice mail programs.
- Instant messaging programs.
- Voice recognition tools.