We explain what office automation is and what tools it uses. Also, its main characteristics and procedures.
What is office automation?
Office automation is a set of computer tools that are used to optimize, improve and automate the procedures carried out in an office. The word office automation is an acronym formed by office and computing.
Office tools allow you to ideate, create, store and manipulate information but the computers must be connected to an Internet network. The office structure usually consists of computers and their peripherals.
Any activity that is carried out manually within an office complex can be carried out with office automation tools in a much better, simpler and faster way.
The office automation began to develop in the 70s With the massification and modernization of office products, it was a positive and important change, such as the jump from typewriters to desktop computers or the invention of the photocopier. Currently the main provider of office suites is Microsoft Office, although it is paid, and among the free providers is OpenOffice.
See also: Computer program
Some office procedures and tools are:
- Word processor
- Database
- Utilities (e.g. calculators)
- Software packages such as Microsoft Office
- Email programs
We will see some tools and their characteristics:
- Word It is a word processor. It is used to write and format any type of text. Other types of things can also be made, such as web pages.
- Excel Its main function is the spreadsheet, there you can create files of, for example, invoices, keep track of an account statement, prepare statistics and so on.
- Access It is a database management tool. Here you can control an inventory, keep track of books and other similar actions.
- PowerPoint It is the ideal program to develop presentations. It is ideal to accompany speeches. You can insert images, sounds, videos and more.
- Outlook It is used to manage email. It also includes the possibility of keeping track of an agenda with a calendar. It also has reminders.