Avoiding Obsolescence How to stay on top of the new wave of technology
From "Special Report",  Access to Wang, March 1996
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The tremendous growth of new computing technology has resulted in the separation of traditional Information Systems (IS) professionals from a growing number of information users whose contact with computers has been through Open Systems and personal computers. As desktop applications mature and gain ground in enterprise application support, this gap in experience and expectations has grown dangerously. Management support has swung away from IS managers, and end-user wants are considered as much (or more) than the recommendations of IS leaders.

While it is difficult (and sometimes dangerous!) to try to predict the direction of the Information Systems market, there are a few trends that can be detected. What follows is my view of the important issues faced by Wang IS professionals and ways that you can meet these challenges.

The role of Open Systems

"Open systems" have continued to grow in importance as enterprise information systems. The price/performance of Unix systems has captured a large portion of the market formerly dominated by the Wang VS and other minicomputers, primarily by supplying an environment similar to the VS through emulation. By porting existing business solutions to another environment, organizations leverage the experience they have in these applications while adding the potential to reach into new development environments.

Unfortunately, many shops who have ported their VS software to new environments have merely duplicated their applications with new equipment. While this may solve some performance issues, the change will not be significant enough to end users and management and some may wonder whether the costs to move the software were worth it.

Fortunately, users open systems environments have a rich selection of products to select from. Since most products are interchangeable and the markets are so competitive, the chance for success in new development has gone up dramatically.

Shrink-wrapped solutions

In the past, all of an organization's information applications were met with software - products typically constructed by hand. The rise of general-purpose tools and standards (albeit, some of them de facto standards) has made it possible to connect generic products to form custom applications. For example, instead of creating a new report for every possible user request, IS departments can help end users use query tools and enterprise data bases to create their own reports.

One result of this change has been a rise in the number of vendor products used by organizations - along with a related rise in support costs. Conflicts between products have become more rare, but the larger number of products makes it more difficult to resolve such problems.

Another problem is data integrity: with powerful tools at their disposal but little or no oversight by IS data management, many users develop "pockets" of information throughout the organization. It is important that all parts of the organization use the same data - particularly when reporting to external organizations - and IS should assist the user community in gaining access to the organization's information sources. (Client/Server database tools are making it easier to accomplish this goal.)

Network applications

After hearing for years that networks will play an important part in the application world, suddenly the hype has become real. Information solutions that were previously assumed to be accessed solely within one building are now expected to work from remote offices, at employee homes, in client offices, and on the road. And many of these applications cannot be effectively used in a text-only world, ruling out traditional host-terminal dial-up solutions; instead, enterprise networks are being extended to many new locations.

A good deal of the success of network solutions might be the result of the popularity of the Internet for personal use and the dial-up networking underlying it. There are now millions of users who have set up and use this global network, and they carry similar expectations for access to the workplace. The World Wide Web has allowed instant, simultaneous access to information from anywhere in the world, and a growing number of applications use similar communications techniques to get their information.

The availability of worldwide electronic mail, Web pages, and files transfer has also changed the world of product support. Many software vendors will not respond directly to service requests, preferring that you send them a fax or message and wait for their response. There are also "user-supported" products, where members of the technical community help each other solve issues and provide information on use. (Ironically, this is similar to the way that the Wang USERAIDS evolved: user-written, user-supported software that solved specific problems with little or no cost.)

As you can see, it is in your interest to get involved with the global network community and gain its support. The experience of network communications can also help you understand the benefits and drawbacks of business use of network communications - an important key to professional survival in the next decade.

Workstations

It should be no surprise to anyone that personal computers have replaced terminals as the workstation of choice. Even before the advent of networked applications that require local computing power, PCs offered users greater access to enterprise data and control over its presentation. Thus, we can agree that desktop systems will continue to be the information tool on everyone's desk.

Less clear are the specifics behind this choice: Which processor family and vendor? What operating system? Which standard for data access?

I do not believe there are clear winners in these categories; the market appears able to support many hardware vendors and several competing operating systems. The incredible competition between these choices has accelerated technical progress and driven down costs. Fortunately, customers are also demanding adherence to standards, so there is some chance that you will not be crippled if the path you select is ultimately abandoned.

But possible abandonment of technology might be your chief concern when evaluating choices on the desktop. How likely is it that the manufacturer will survive the industry shakeouts that have been predicted? How much of their promises for future enhancements can they carry out? And what is the penalty if you are lashed to orphaned products?

In short, I suggest you select your desktop tools by looking carefully at your suppliers, buying carefully - and plan to replace your system within two or three years.

Summary

The new IS technologies provide exciting new benefits at the cost of some change and personal growth. IS professionals must assess the trends in the industry and the role they would like to play, then aggressively pursue that role. It is no longer possible to assume you will be carried into the next generation of information systems without change.