As a result, the pressure on information technology departments for increased turnaround of solutions will increase. Systems must be developed and deployed quickly, yet be robust and scaleable to support large transaction volumes and worldwide access to information. For example, a great deal of customer loyalty to a product is based on the difficulty for a consumer to research alternatives, understand the trade-offs involved, and make a smooth transition from one product to another. As product advertising was often the primary source of consumers information, organizations were to a large extent in control of their market s access to information and could predict their buying habits. With Internet technologies many of the problems with information access are removed.
Much more information is available than ever before, and in a much more timely manner.
Furthermore, agent and brokering services are routinely available to connect consumers with suppliers, or to find the cheapest supplier of services for given criteria. This flexibility for consumers is further increased with the removal of many of the geographical constraints of making informed decision and obtaining products. This forces established organizations to rethink the pricing, packaging, and distribution of their products and services. More and more frequently the limiting factor in making these changes will be the information systems supporting the business. Information technology departments will find they have greater visibility within organizations as they make changes in their services and solutions.