Introduction In the present world, information technology (IT) is at the core of most business activities. It provides the foundation that enables today’s business enterprises to function and flourish. Whether it is in procurement and production, manufacturing and maintenance, customer care and sales, communication and collaboration, tracking and measurement, or virtually any other business discipline, IT plays a critical role (Laube & Zammuto, 2003). This paper provides a case study of MasterCard International and looks at how the company uses technology to enhance its business operations. A summary of the case is presented followed by a detailed discussion and finally, the main points are highlighted. Case Study Description In the process of carrying out its business operations, MasterCard International uses client/server architecture. This is an architecture that exists in a networked environment where there is a server dedicated to offering services to clients. The clients send requests to the server and the server responds appropriately. In the case of MasterCard International, there is a computer that authorizes, clears, and settles each credit card transaction whenever a client interacts with the system. With its massive data warehouse, MasterCard’s client/server system links 25,000 member banks spread out in different regions. The client/server arrangement greatly improves the rate at which decisions are made and ensures that customers receive quality services. MasterCard’s data warehouse was presented as a strategic move to give the company a competitive edge and improve its market share. Using a combination of in-house developed and commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) products, the company is able to identify customers’ buying trends, credit card fraud, and other useful information. Presenting a Business Case for MasterCard’s Data Warehouse In an environment that is characterized by reduced spending on IT initiatives, IT Managers are often faced with a tough challenge of selling concepts to top management. Rather than investing in new IT initiatives, top management would rather focus on cost cutting. This is also due to the fact that most executives can not easily quantify the benefits associated with the use of IT services. The confusion always arises because many top executives see IT departments as nothing more than cost centers. Regardless of the IT concept being presented to top management, the IT manager must provide a very convincing case for his or her ideas to be accepted. In the case of MasterCard, there is a very strong foundation on which an argument by the IT manager can be based. As can be seen from the given model, and as explained in the case, MasterCard’s data warehouse has a number of strengths that make it appealing to any prospective user. First of all, the data warehouse is supported by client/server architecture which happens to be very reliable. For most companies, client/server systems offer the best combination of features that help to meet critical business requirements. Among such features are scalability, power, and flexibility (Shelly & Rosenblatt, 2011). Whether a business is expanding or downsizing, client/server systems enable a company to scale the system in a rapidly chang