In this view, any extra costs associated with client-server architectures are offset by greater functionality, such as the data accessibility the Naval Sea Logistics Center is enjoying. Zipora Brown, a vice president of American Management Systems Inc., says client-server systems can improve productivity, work flow and output speed, agency services, and management reporting. The much-discussed Year 2000 problem is another reason agencies are increasingly likely to move off mainframes. The system runs, but no one working with it truly understands its innards. Rather than dissect the old system and patch it further in updating all its date codes, it may make sense to start over with a clean slate.
Federal agencies have a further incentive to move from mainframes to client-server.
Client-server systems generally consist of more standard hardware and software components than mainframe systems. This standardization complies with federal mandates intended to keep agencies from becoming locked into a single systems supplier. Standardization tends to increase vendor competition by leveling the playing field. Federal agencies also are under orders to consolidate and streamline their mainframe computing operations. The Office of Management and Budget is pressing agencies to reduce the overhead costs they incur by maintaining many data centers.