ABSTRACT
Historically, organizations have perceived several advantages in centralizing computer operations. A major advantage relates to economies of scale. It was widely accepted that a large computer was more cost effective than a small computer. Advances in processor technology and vendor pricing policies, however, have made this belief obsolete. It is now possible for a microcomputer to connect “seamlessly” through a LAN to a host file server, midrange, or mainframe computer, which, in turn, may be connected to other remote computers.
