Organizations want to take advantage of the low- cost and user-friendly environment that existing desktop workstations provide. There is also a strong need and desire to capitalize on existing investment at the desktop and in the portfolio of business applications currently running in the host. Thus, corporate networks are typically put in place to connect user workstations to the host. Immediate benefits are possible by integrating these three technologies: workstations, connectivity, and hosts. Retraining and redevelopment costs are avoided by using the existing applications from an integrated desktop.
Client/server computing provides the capability to use the most cost-effective user interface, data storage, connectivity, and application services. Frequently, client/server products are deployed within the present organization but are not used effectively. The client/server model provides the technological means to use previous investments in concert with current technology options. There has been a dramatic decline in the cost of the technology components of client/server computing. Organizations see opportunities to use technology to provide business solutions. Service and quality competition in the marketplace further increase the need to take advantage of the benefits available from applications built on the client/server model.
Client/server computing in its best implementations moves the data-capture and information-processing functions directly to the knowledgeable worker—that is, the worker with the ability to respond to errors in the data, and the worker with the ability to use the information made available. Systems used in the front office, directly involved in the process of doing the business, are forced to show value. If they don't, they are discarded under the cost pressures of doing business. Systems that operate in the back room after the business process is complete are frequently designed and implemented to satisfy an administrative need, without regard to their impact on business operations. Client/server applications integrate the front and back office processes because data capture and usage become an integral part of the business rather than an after-the-fact administrative process. In this mode of operation, the processes are continuously evaluated for effectiveness. Client/server computing provides the technology platform to support the vital business practice of continuous improvement.