Information Technology (IT) is a mix between computers and telecommunications equipment, used to store, retrieve, transmit and manipulate data in regards to SMEs and other businesses. These revolutionary technologies in the world are submerging us in the digital world and towards a society more intertwined with information and knowledge.
We must learn to learn, in an environment of constant change it is necessary to be able to do so in order to build foundations for our industry, to position it and have the ability to develop it and achieve its success.
IT in Latin America
It is common to think that thanks to the digital age, we are all immersed in technology or that we all know it, but in a society there are usually inequalities. In Latin America there are extremes, wealth and poverty, inventions that only occur in a certain place and technological «illiteracy».
The problem of inequalities in access to information goes beyond technology, the simple fact that society knows how to read or write is not enough if there is no understanding of the use of information and technologies.
Latin America has been one of the regions where information and communication technologies (ICT) began their life in a very slow way. The first PCs may have reached large companies, but the process of application and use in the population was slow and the accentuated importance occurred after the 2000s. However, there are other factors that affect such as areas of scarce resources, illiteracy, censorship by present dictatorships, among others.
«Electronic commerce in SMEs» was one of the first works on the subject in Chile. Prepared by Plana, Cerpa, the authors propose the adoption of electronic commerce focused on small and medium-sized companies. The strategic plan in each one of them influences the intensive use of ICT, which are adapted according to needs.
There is clear evidence of the low use of ICT in Latin America, compared to developed countries, affecting production processes, the generation of new knowledge and innovation.
It is necessary to promote the use of information technologies in industry since these have been the main role in societies and little has been studied about their adoption. Our objective is to raise awareness and explain how ICTs positively influence the development of a company in various areas, because they represent an opportunity for development and expansion, in response to the market that is constantly changing.
Insurers, having adopted their traditional position in a very marked way, have put aside this technological movement, remaining outside the market and evolving at minimal speeds.
Technological change can affect a company in two particular senses, giving it an opportunity to produce new products or adopt new processes and instead alter the environment in which the company has been operating (leading new product competitors, creating new markets or affecting costs).
Information technologies are always going to represent important opportunities and threats for companies, so it will always be convenient to take them into account when developing growth strategies.