Computers in the Workplace

 The industry I chose to cover is the telecommunications industry. I currently work as a communications technician in this industry, which requires an above-average level of interaction with computers compared to most other industries. Company phones and tablets are issued to perform everyday work functions. The devices are managed by IT personnel and have specialized virtual private networks (VPN) networks to access proprietary company software and personal identifying information (PII). Daily jobs are accessed through company software and routed with computer-assisted routing and human intervention when necessary. Before heading to a job, 2-way communication devices are pinged to give information about online status, signal levels, and other information relevant to the call type (installation or repair). Signal level meters are distributed and aid in the installation of services and troubleshooting alike. These signal level meters measure a digital signal, converted from an old analog using complex computer processing to sample and convert the original radio waveform to 1s and 0s for encrypted transportation to a piece of equipment that converts it back to analog.

Besides this equipment, technicians must know basic information about troubleshooting computer-based hardware such as digital alarms, voice over internet protocol (VoIP), smartphones, tablets, PCs, and laptops. Identifying a devices capabilites is cruicial in troubleshooting common issues such as internet speed. For instance, customers may complain they are not getting their advertised speeds on a specific device. The first part of identifying a solution is checking what a device is capable of. Older computer hardware may be unable to receive higher speeds because it lacks a current 802.11 protocol that limits the maximum received speed the device can do. This, among other knowledge, is important for explaining why speed is not what is expected in certain scenarios.

The future of this industry has already become more reliant on computers. Hardware in the field that holds customers (node) used to be accessed and managed manually. Now these pieces of equipment are only installed manually, but are managed via software from another state. Cable boxes have become wireless and television signal has been converted to IP for streaming from remote devices. The future of this industry is moving toward a more wireless internet-based solution as more people adopt streaming applications and lessen traditional entertainment viewing methods. Internet speed is a crucial goal to achieve, which requires complex computing devices to utilize more of what is already available in a limited spectrum. I expect more migration to digital streaming and the need to drastically increase internet speeds for AI, video conferencing, gaming, and all the other industries that rely heavily on the internet. The network is currently always being assessed and upgraded to keep up with demand, and I don't expect this to slow or stop.