The term information system refers to information technology that is used by people to accomplish a specified organizational or individual objective. The technology may be used in the gathering, processing, storing, and/or dissemination of information, and the users are trained in the use of that technology, as well as in the procedures to be followed in doing so. The specific technologies that collectively comprise information technology are computer technology and data communications technology. Computers provide most of the storage and processing capabilities, while data communications—specifically networks—provide the means for dissemination and remote access of information.

Advances in computer hardware, software, and networking technologies have spurred an evolution in the structure, design, and use of corporate information systems.

Computer Hardware

When computers first began moving into the business world in the late 1950s and early 1960s, the computing environment was best described as centralized...