Evolution of MIS:
Jane Laudon identify five eras of MIS evolution
corresponding to five phases in the development of computing technology:
1)
Mainframe and minicomputer computing,
2)
Personal computers,
3)
Client/server networks,
4)
Enterprise computing, and
5)
Cloud computing.
The first (mainframe and
minicomputer) era was ruled by IBM and their mainframe computers, these
computers would often take up whole rooms and require teams to run them, IBM
supplied the hardware and the software. As technology advanced these computers
were able to handle greater capacities and therefore reduce their cost.
Smaller, more affordable minicomputers allowed larger businesses to run their
own computing centers in-house.
The second (personal computer) era
began in 1965 as microprocessors started to compete with mainframes and
minicomputers and accelerated the process of decentralizing computing power
from large data centers to smaller offices. In the late 1970s minicomputer
technology gave way to personal computers and relatively low cost computers
were becoming mass market commodities, allowing businesses to provide their
employees access to computing power that ten years before would have cost tens
of thousands of dollars. This proliferation of computers created a ready market
for interconnecting networks and the popularization of the Internet.
As the complexity of the technology
increased and the costs decreased, the need to share information within an
enterprise also grew, giving rise to the third (client/server) era in
which computers on a common network were able to access shared information on a
server. This allowed for large amounts of data to be accessed by thousands and
even millions of people simultaneously.
The fourth (enterprise) era
enabled by high speed networks, tied all aspects of the business enterprise
together offering rich information access encompassing the complete management
structure.
The fifth and latest (cloud
computing) era of information systems employs networking technology to
deliver applications as well as data storage independent of the configuration,
location or nature of the hardware. This, along with high speed cellphone and
wifi networks, led to new levels of mobility in which managers access the MIS
remotely with laptops, tablet pcs, and smartphones.