How One Technological Process Has Improved

This enormous infusion of technology has created a different human resources department—and enterprise—than existed only a couple of decades ago.

During the heyday of mainframe computing in the 1960s, ’70s and early ’80s, it was almost impossible to do anything more than process data—something that typically occurred under the supervision of a management information system (MIS) specialist. At the time, obtaining a report could take hours or days. Sharing data in any real way was out of the question.

Then, during the late 1980s, as the personal computer matured and networking became more robust, the introduction of client/server computing took the enterprise by storm. It provided a way to exchange data between systems so that a people at desktops could process data at their PCs.

Although client/server systems created far more powerful computing models and ushered in remarkable capabilities, they too represented headaches. Moving data between systems and databases could require sophisticated middleware, and linking applications and desktops across an enterprise and beyond created ongoing compatibility problems. If you used Windows and needed to get the data to a UNIX or Mac operating system, you might face formidable barriers.

All this changed with the mainstream introduction of the Web in 1994. Suddenly, it was possible to cut across a variety of systems—provided that the software and browser supported the standard protocol of the Web.

By 1996, companies began discovering that what worked on the World Wide Web could also work on their corporate network. Intranets and then extranets were born—creating anytime, anywhere connectivity to data.

“It has moved data once contained in silos and smokestacks into the broad domain of the enterprise,” says Thomas Koulopoulos, president of The Delphi Group, a Boston-based consultancy.