Electronic office
Encyclopedia
The electronic office, or e-office, was a term coined to cover the increasing use of computer
-based information technology
for office
work, especially in the 1980s. It was a marketing
buzzword
at the time, but now is not so widely used since all modern offices are electronic offices.
The term appeared much earlier in the name of the LEO computer
(Lyons Electronic Office), that first ran a business application in 1951 in England
.
The ongoing process that led to e-office adoption was elimination of paper
and making most of the office communications electronic.
The definition of electronic office is not precise, and it might be either:
The introduction of e-office improved accuracy and efficiency of organizations and thereby improved their level of service, while theoretically lowering costs and drastically reducing the consumption of paper. Many documents are still being printed out and circulated on paper, however, especially the ones that require signature
.
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
-based information technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
for office
Office
An office is generally a room or other area in which people work, but may also denote a position within an organization with specific duties attached to it ; the latter is in fact an earlier usage, office as place originally referring to the location of one's duty. When used as an adjective, the...
work, especially in the 1980s. It was a marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
buzzword
Buzzword
A buzzword is a term of art, salesmanship, politics, or technical jargon that is used in the media and wider society outside of its originally narrow technical context....
at the time, but now is not so widely used since all modern offices are electronic offices.
The term appeared much earlier in the name of the LEO computer
LEO computer
The LEO I was the first computer used for commercial business applications. Overseen by Oliver Standingford and Raymond Thompson of J. Lyons and Co., and modelled closely on the Cambridge EDSAC, LEO I ran its first business application in 1951...
(Lyons Electronic Office), that first ran a business application in 1951 in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
The ongoing process that led to e-office adoption was elimination of paper
Paper
Paper is a thin material mainly used for writing upon, printing upon, drawing or for packaging. It is produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets....
and making most of the office communications electronic.
The definition of electronic office is not precise, and it might be either:
- the introduction of individual computers running office software applications, such as word processorWord processorA word processor is a computer application used for the production of any sort of printable material....
s, - or to the interconnection of office computers using a local area networkLocal area networkA local area network is a computer network that interconnects computers in a limited area such as a home, school, computer laboratory, or office building...
(LAN), - or to the centralization of office functions via web applicationWeb applicationA web application is an application that is accessed over a network such as the Internet or an intranet. The term may also mean a computer software application that is coded in a browser-supported language and reliant on a common web browser to render the application executable.Web applications are...
s.
The introduction of e-office improved accuracy and efficiency of organizations and thereby improved their level of service, while theoretically lowering costs and drastically reducing the consumption of paper. Many documents are still being printed out and circulated on paper, however, especially the ones that require signature
Signature
A signature is a handwritten depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. The writer of a signature is a signatory. Similar to a handwritten signature, a signature work describes the work as readily identifying...
.