Several employees foresee the system evolving into a database server with application processing performed on decentralized hardware, thus at least prolonging the life of their mainframes and avoiding costly upgrades. Areas of Concern. Currently agencies are pursuing several different software and hardware solutions in their implementation of decentralized computing. The proliferation of different hardware and software may present problems in the future with connectivity, data exchange and technical staffing. If the future repeats the past, some hardware and software vendors will be unable to compete and drop out of the market, making their products obsolete.
Decentralized computers lack the software sophistication found on mainframe computers.
System support software available for decentralized hardware is generally less sophisticated than mainframe software with regard to security, system monitoring and management, and operations support. Currently an agency's information resource costs can, for the most part, be monitored through the IS budget. When programming and operation responsibilities have been moved to agency program areas, it is difficult to identify the costs. As the move to decentralize computing intensifies, it is likely that more responsibilities will move to program areas, further obscuring information resource expenditures. Information resources will continue to be a strategic resource of an agency, and there will be a need to account for its cost and performance.