When the means of communication was man and beast, there was always a problem in getting messages from A to B as quickly as they needed to reach their destination. Not only could nothing be done about the time it would take to convey the message, there was also the problem of the authenticity of the message. Had it come from the person who had claimed to send it and was it a correct instruction? It was a fear that had the legal people unwilling to even accept faxed copy as opposed to original hard copy for legal transactions, and that was not too many years ago.

The recent times in which we have the internet and the ability to transfer large files were light years away.

Our modern-day term, seal of approval, originates from the time when a seal was the means by which authenticity could be determined. Writers were in great demand being a small section of the population who could accurately convey messages on parchment.

The seal could be in the form of a signet ring, or a simple stamp which could ensure that the seal, often of wax, molten then drying, was preventing anyone but the intended recipient from reading the detail. Only the scribes at the source of the message, and the readers at the destination were privy to the contents other than the people directly sending or receiving the correspondence.

There is no such problem in the twenty-first century when we can communicate instantly, exchanging information as we transfer large files on the touch of a button. We can achieve in a single day with files moving backwards and forwards throughout that day what it would have taken our forefathers months to achieve in the days of man and horse. The only delays now are those of decision-making which in itself can involve consultation processes within individual departments before a response is made.

Indeed only a few decades ago in the time of intermittent power cuts, unreliable telephone and before the fax machine went into commercial use; it would have taken weeks to transact that same business across continents with limited technology. How wonderful it would have been to see the old explorers live on our screens explain their problems, divulging their discoveries rather than having to wait for their return via long sea voyages and the distribution of their diary thoughts.

Youth takes the present for granted, satellite television, mobile phones and most particularly the internet and its ability to provide instant communication. The World is now such a small place and business is wise to take advantage of the fact. It is a competitive world and it is important to use every advantage; competitors will. Information is now at the touch of a button.