Network design is an important business and technological decision in today’s world. This is as a result of the technological innovations that have rendered the traditional practices of running businesses obsolete. Communication needs and trends have increased owing to globalization, and this implies that business organizations need to advance accordingly in order to remain relevant. The speed at which everything is advancing requires an organization to adopt faster communication methods (Laudon & Laudon, 2009). This will enable them to stay up to date with the happenings in the industry and the world at large. Communication has moved from the traditional technology (postal and fax services), to more advanced methods such as the internet and mobile phones. This explains the need for networking.
With networking, the internet becomes more relevant in the organization for both external and internal communication. In fact, the internet network and telephone networks have been integrated in a way that it is possible to use the same gadgets for both voice and data transmission. This has brought about advanced communication systems such as video conferencing and telemarketing which enables a single business to run in different parts of the world without involving a lot of travel. It is also possible to carry out the same activities over the phone hence ensuring mobility. This is why a network design is important in any business organization. Besides reducing the movements, the network system also ensures that the people running the businesses are not restricted to the office since it has made it possible for office work to be done from remote places.
Hyatt regency Osaka is one of the companies famous for its exemplary network design. This resort is one of the hotels under the Hyatt international chain of hotels, located a few kilometers from the central region of Osaka. The management of this facility resorted to technology as a means of increasing their competitive advantage in the hotel industry since it has a disadvantage in terms of its location. One of the components of the network design is the local area network connectivity which provides effective and timely communication within the hotel premises. It has employed a number of wireless notebooks, and many more mobile devices used by staff and guests in the hotel. Guests are also able to access the internet at very high speeds for their communication needs with people from outside.
This network is effective in the operations of the hotel since according to the management, the technology saves approximately up to 60 working hours annually for each employee. Before, communication was done by way of pagers and telephones located at specific points within the facility (Intel Corporation, 2006). This involved a lot of movements hence wasting a lot of time. The fact that technology has resulted to time saving implies that more time is now available to attend to the needs of the guests and improvement of the services being offered. Guests are able to make enquiries from the comfort of their rooms and this minimizes movements along the corridors making the place even more serene.
Hyatt regency Osaka had the option of reducing their rates to attract more customers, but this would have endangered their existence due to high costs of operation. This would also mean that they compromise the quality of their services and this would reduce their competitive advantages. The main types of business decisions that can be made from this kind of network design mostly revolve around improving the customer experiences in the hotel (Intel Corporation, 2006). An example is where the hotel provides virtual conferencing facilities to enable guests who are on holiday to continue with their businesses in different regions. This will attract high caliber individuals and organizations resulting in increased profits.
References
Intel Corporation. (2006). VoIP Enables VIP Service at Hyatt Regency Osaka. Web.
Laudon, K., Laudon, J. (2009). Essentials of management information systems (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.