Virtual options are especially important now, given the globalized community in which we live. Businesses need to have a virtual presence. Not only is this a relevant option for organizations today, but it's almost required in the global business world that we live in now today.
IN CONTEXT
Around 1992, Pizza Hut started allowing people to order their pizzas from an online source. This created a virtual presence beyond simply having a web page to showcase advertising for a business--it actually drove e-commerce forward. In addition, because it was on the worldwide web, it gave Pizza Hut a presence in the virtual world that it didn't have before, and helped drive their brand and their business.
As mentioned, a virtual presence can create a global opportunity. Simply because you're on the world wide web, now people from all over the globe have access to you as customers--and as potential employees.
In order to understand and manage a virtual presence, it is important to understand some of the infrastructures that are used to operate such a presence.
| Virtual Infrastructures | Description |
|---|---|
| Intranet | This is the non-public network of an organization that employees can gain entry to, via the internet. An intranet is closely held within an organization, and while employees can access it through the internet, not everybody can. It's protected from the general public. This makes it much easier for employees to access internal information that only those employees need in order to do their jobs well. This is very important for virtual organizations, especially in order to structure and manage their business. |
| Extranet | This is a controlled network that allows specific users from outside an organization to access part or all of an organization's intranet. This is a case where customers can access the product or service that they want to use or buy from an external source for external use. |
| Local Area Network (LAN) | This is a group of computers that are networked within a limited physical location, such as a building or a very small geographic area. It allows companies to connect different workers throughout the organization and share sensitive information within it that they don't necessarily want to risk releasing into the outside world. |
| Wide Area Network (WAN) | This is a group of computers that are networked in a large area and includes several local area networks. So, if you have a larger company with a larger base or footprint, you can use a wide area network to connect those local area networks together. Again, this is something that is strictly internal to a company and does not allow access to outside internet users, but it allows users to share data across a wide area, geographically. |
The working accommodations that have been affected by the virtual community. In order to accommodate limited office space or as a way to improve employee morale and satisfaction, more organizations are offering their employees ways to work from home or in another remote location instead of going to the office every day.
Source: adapted from sophia instructor james howard
