Managing Computers in Large Organizations

Managing Microcomputers in Large Organizations
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/167.html
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A PERSPECTIVE FOR THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER 73
require a significantly higher level of control since they affect the jobs of many
people and may be the repository for corporate records. The danger is that
personal computer activities may grow into departmental systems without the
necessary controls.
The most frequently discussed issues concerning the use of personal
computers in business may be grouped into five categories:
• data management;
• product proliferation;
• acquisition practices;
• level of user maturity;
• the shift in skill sets.
Data management means assuring that the information needs of the
corporation are met by the activities that collect data, produce data, or maintain
records. This includes providing data access and security. Three specific
concerns about data management have been raised relative to the use of
personal computers.
The first concern is accessibility of data. The traditional MIS solution to
providing data needed by several people was to store it in a central database, in
the computers of the central data processing shop. With personal computers,
however, data can reside in many places, creating difficulties for access.
Knowledge of data location becomes a major problem.
The second concern is consistency and compatibility of data. Without
central control of data there is a concern that users will employ different names
and formats for the same data. Similarly, they might use the same names for
different data, which could lead to a comparison of apples and oranges. To
reconcile such diversities could require major conversion efforts and cause
delays in responding to business needs.
The third concern is data security. Traditionally, security was ensured by
the MIS department with its expertise, elaborate controls, and physically secure
facilities. With personal computers responsibility for security is put in the hands
of people who may have little or no experience with it. Moreover, with personal
computers there is no longer a single logical place to concentrate security
expertise and efforts.
A second set of issues relates to the proliferation of personal computer
products from many different vendors. This proliferation raises concerns about
connectivity. How do we get IBM
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