server based computing -what's it all about?

In our section on Application Delivery we discuss the evolution of IT infrastructures from their original centralised architectures, based upon monolithic mini and mainframe computers. The benefits of these systems were realised in terms of ease of administration and centralised control over IT resources. These systems were, however, expensive to operate in terms of hardware and software costs, and in the level of expertise required to operate and maintain them. They were also inflexible in their ability to provide customisable functionality to end users, who would often have to wait weeks, or even months, for new features or applications.

The response to these issues was realised with the increasing availability of affordable personal computers and supporting networking technologies. By providing each user with their own computer, they were able to choose their own software (often without the approval of the IT department), and to develop and enhance application features. IT managers quickly came to realise, however, that this revolution in computing was not without its own problems. PCs, due to their physical architecture, require higher levels of maintenance and support than the ‘dumb terminals’ they have replaced. They are also vulnerable to inappropriate user actions and infection from the ongoing wave of computer viruses. This proliferation of PCs throughout organisations has created its own set of problems for IT managers, who must provide the maintenance skills (and budgets) to keep them operating, and seek to maintain the advantage in securing the PC environment from misuse and data loss.