Information Technology: Past, Present, and Future

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Information Technology Past, Present, and Future
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Five Eras of IT

• Isolated Machines (late 50s to early 60s)
• Mainframe Monopoly (early 60s to late 70s)
• Distributed Systems (late 70s to mid 80s)
• Regulated Free Market (mid 80s-late 90s)
• The Internet and WWW (late 90s-present)
• Mobile and Web-base computing??

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Some constants over time

• A rapidly changing technology with continuously
  improving cost performance
• Difficulty in producing applications (systems)
  quickly, cheaply, that meet user needs
• Need for system evolution (new requirements)-Lear
  ning-Changes in the environment-Practices/proces
  ses
• Managing information technology

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Some baggage inherited from the early eras

• Inflexibility-Legacy systems and technology
• Managerial paradigms-Engineering/technical
  vs-Marketing/behavioral
• User/technical relationships

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Some baggage inherited from the the free market
era

• Technological proliferation
• Incompatible technologies
• New options, including the specter of
  outsourcing
• User overconfidence