Downsizing core mainframe applications can improve productivity and reduce information system costs, according to a recent CSC Index report. Published by the Butler Cox Foundation, a CSC research and advisory body, Downsizing Computer Systems is based on the analysis of 200 downsizing examples, and it forecasts that downsizing will be an increasingly common response. The report claims that smaller systems are more flexible, easier to use and less expensive to run than mainframes. However, CSC suggest that it is not only a tactical response to technological advances, but a strategic move towards a distributed computing environment and user-empowerment. The report argues that downsizing is a result of a change in emphasis from efficiency to effectiveness. This, apparently, is about providing faster access to data and bringing diverse information together at one terminal to speed up response times. The effect is said to be particularly marked where it involves a change to a client-server architecture in which intelligent workstations access shared resources via a network. The report claims to demonstrate that downsizing can reduce costs by up to 30%, although it does warn that overall costs may rise in the transition period. It stresses that downsizing will only produce results with applications that are suited to the process, and claims to provide a framework for assessing suitability. Other pitfalls mentioned in the report include security, reliability and management. Nonetheless, the benefits provided by client-server systems and cost reductions that can be had are compelling reasons for downsizing, says the report, and the decision is when, rather than whether, to downsize. Which seems a touch gung-ho, and given the furore that downsizing has created over the past few years, is it news? Nonetheless, if users are interested in the issues and feel the report could shed some light, they might consider joining the Butler Foundation and get the report free of charge: it is not available to non-members.
