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server) and the rest on the users‟ (the clients‟) computers—hence the term client-server computing.
Many companies implemented applications using this technology, which ensured that processing
power was utilized at both ends and that systems were scalable. The problem with client-server
processing was that different computers (even within the IBM-compatible PC family) used different
drivers and required tweaking to make the systems work properly. Also, if the software needed to be
changed at the client end and there were many clients (some companies have thousands of PC clients),
maintaining the software on all of those clients could be a nightmare. Even with specialized tools
developed for that purpose, it never quite worked perfectly.
As companies recognized the opportunity to send data over the Internet, whether for their
customers, their suppliers, or their employees, they started to migrate all of their applications to a
browser interface. This change has required companies to rethink where the locus of their processing
will occur. Prior to the 1990s, companies‟ networks were host-centric, where all of their processing
was conducted using one large mainframe. In the early 1990s, companies began using client-server
architecture. Today, with the current browser technology and the Internet, the focus has shifted back to
a host-centric environment. The difference, though, is that the browser on the users‟ computers is used
to display and capture data, and the data processing actually occurs back at the central host on a series
of specialized servers, not on one large mainframe computer. In this case, the only program a user
needs is a standard browser, which solves the incompatibility problem presented by distributed data
processing. No specialized software is stored on the users‟ computers.
Web 2.0 applications were introduced in Chapter 19, Information Technology and You. At first
glance these applications seem personal, having no part in professional productivity. But a second
glance reveals that this is not so. Imagine working on a project and needing someone who has worked
on a similar project—social networking, or needing a copy of a diagram that was used in a similar
project—tagging. Or a project team uses wiki software to develop a project report. Or a project team
uses blogs to keep everyone informed. Organizations need to evaluate the newer uses of Internet
technology as they become mainstream. End users are comfortable with the technology, so an
organization needs to work on how to harness that comfort level to make its use improve end-user
productivity.
Web Hosting
With such a business reliance on the Internet and many corporate applications using Web
technologies, most companies host their own Web sites today. This allows the organization to
maintain its internal Web-technology-based applications on-site but accessible from anywhere,
anytime (with the right permissions, of course). It also allows the organization to be in control of its
own Web presence and data. All of this, of course, comes at a price for the hardware, software,
network capabilities and speed, and manpower.
For those companies that wish to not host their own Web presence, there are many vendors in the
business of hosting Web sites. These companies provide the communications lines, Web servers, data
backup, and, in some cases, Web design and maintenance services. Companies that choose to
outsource their Web hosting are also protecting their main network from security breaches. However,
they are still placing a great deal of their data on the Web hosting company‟s computer, which is still
subject to security hackers.