How does Internet help business?

How does Internet help business?
The Internet is one of the most powerful tools available to businesses today for communication, data gathering and managing information systems.

Communication: The Internet is the world wide network on which businesses create their online identity - in the form of a 'website', which is known by a unique url. These websites help businesses to share relevant information with the external public, such as the products and services that they offer, how they can be contacted, their track record and so on.

Data gathering: Businesses need to take decisions, which have to be based on data, which means that data gathering is a key requirement for businesses. As the Internet houses a very large number of websites on practically every subject under the sun, it has become the first point for most information searches.

A business user can use a search engine, such as Google or Bing, and type a few words to find many relevant sources of data. This can be used to know about the business environment, competition, economic scenario, latest trends and so on.

Information Systems: Businesses use technology to store and analyze business information. This information is managed by using specialized information systems, such as Customer Relation Management (CRM), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), or Sales Force Automation.

Many organizations today host these information systems on the Internet. This allows a number of different users to easily add and access these systems, as they can access the Internet anywhere using a PC or a mobile and a web browser.