It is all there now on the ubiquitous PC screen. And information is there, too, converted from data and presented to the user or the operation in the most appropriate form. ERP is not confined within the walls of a single entity. Its data flows go out to suppliers and vendors, customers and prospects. Information is presented on Internet sites and transferred to other computers on a network at the speed of light, or around the world via cable and radio beams bounced off satellites.
Nothing equals the computer for making the world a much smaller place.
What you find out can be shared with another person or even millions of people at the same time you learn it yourself. Design and product development can be a collaborative process without barriers of space and time. Groupware, data management and communications combine to allow everyone to sit in the same office, regardless of where they are physically located. They have helped even the playing field to a point where the size of a company is far less apparent and in some cases unimportant. The Web offers a great resource and network capability that allows us to put more product information and customer service information in the hands of our customer base.