In the 1990s, there has been a dramatic shift away from centralized host computing to decentralized, distributed processing and storage of information. This shift will have a dramatic impact on how people access information. Network Computing . The basic architecture of digital information technology will evolve toward network computing. The movement toward large scale network computing began with the proliferation of personal computers in the 1980's.
Network computing inverts the intelligence hierarchy of host computing.
It enables cooperative processing which involves the spreading of application components across multiple platforms and using the network to link these components. The work station becomes the client platform providing the user interface. If the work station or personal computer cannot perform a users request, the client passes the task to an appropriate server. The server performs the tasks requested by the user. There are a variety of servers available.