Managing Computers in Large Organizations

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Managing Microcomputers in Large Organizations http://www.nap.edu/catalog/167.html About this PDF file: This new digital representation of the original work has been recomposed from XML files created from the original paper book, not from the original typesetting files. Page breaks are true to the original; line lengths, word breaks, heading styles, and other typesetting-specific formatting, however, cannot be retained, and some typographic errors may have been accidentally inserted. Please use the print version of this publication as the authoritative version for attribution. PERSONAL COMPUTING, NOT PERSONAL COMPUTERS 133 you have to provide such people with better resources. Make the same people more productive. Our system does that in a number of areas. My basic philosophy has always been that the point of origin ought to be the point of entry. If you can accomplish that you can eliminate duplication. This system, obviously, is a natural extension of that philosophy. In terms of word processing, for example, with multiple printers in the branch we can easily separate various functions. In the area of decision and sales support the system provides the real resources of personal computing at the branch level. Anything that can be done on a personal computer can be done on this system. And much more. For E.F. Hutton electronic filing of information is part of the electronic mail system and part of the word processing system. It is integrated office automation, and our system does it very logically. Within drawers we have folders, within folders, documents. We can file electronically; we can crumple and uncrumple electronically. We have, in effect, an electronic janitor, and until he empties the electronic waste basket, we can retrieve. Again, we have all the things personal computers give, plus additional capabilities. But the administrative support is what sells the system. We can use it as an extension of our operations administration. For example, I can use the system to schedule meetings with people who report to me. I have various options: I can demand a meeting, in which case the computer will cancel any conflicting meetings. Or I can request a meeting, meaning that if these people have open time, the computer will arrange a meeting around their schedules. There will be defaults in which I can get only 18 out of 20 people or 4 out of 5. I also have “public time” in which people can schedule their meetings with me. The system extends outward as well. We started “Hutton Line” in the state of Florida and expanded it nationally in December 1983. Using a personal computer at home our customers can get direct access to our files. They can use word processing with their account executives, check portfolios, and perform a variety of other functions if they want, including spreadsheet analysis. In short, they have all the functions that are on the personal computer plus the functions on our computer. Thus, the network now extends not only to headquarters, to regional offices, and to Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Managing Microcomputers in Large Organizations http://www.nap.edu/catalog/167.html About this PDF file: This new digital representation of the original work has been recomposed from XML files created from the original paper book, not from the original typesetting files. Page breaks are true to the original; line lengths, word breaks, heading styles, and other typesetting-specific formatting, however, cannot be retained, and some typographic errors may have been accidentally inserted. Please use the print version of this publication as the authoritative version for attribution. PERSONAL COMPUTING, NOT PERSONAL COMPUTERS 134 branch offices, but also to our customers. With a million customers, we are looking for a reasonable response of 5,000 clients by the end of 1984. This system cost 40 million dollars. For us, the cost-benefits are really very simple. E.F. Hutton is a firm on the leading edge. As such, we cannot afford not to have such a system; we cannot afford to be second. Our alternative is not to be in business. Therefore, it is not a question of if, it is a question of who. We chose Data General because its hardware is significantly more powerful than the other computers we investigated. We received an operating system with addons and improvements written in to keep us competitive. We estimate that we can justify the cost of the system over a period of three to five years, and we anticipate its life cycle will be more than seven years. This is unusual because we generally blow our computers before their leases expire. In fact, I have never kept a computer until term. The company simply cannot afford to keep computers that are no longer efficient and economical. The cost, as far as I'm concerned, is dependent upon the mission. And realizing the mission of an organization raises the issue of management control. Yet, strangely enough, in all the talk about personal computers, we don't hear much about managers' ability to control the work. To me, on-line personal computing means giving away or abdicating a great amount of responsibility. And, as a businessman, I must wonder how I can control what I have given away. For this reason I view the personal computer as a dangerous weapon and I treat it as such. I think the first and most important question to ask when considering a personal computing system is, can I control this? If the answer is yes, and I am satisfied with the level of control I can exercise over the system, then I would choose it. If not, I would look for something else. There is a vast array of options from which to choose. My advice is to take the best and leave the rest. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
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