Editing Management information system (section)

== History ==
While it can be contested that the history of management information systems dates as far back as companies using ledgers to keep track of accounting, the modern history of MIS can be divided into five ''eras'' originally identified by [[Kenneth C. Laudon]] and Jane Laudon in their seminal textbook ''Management Information Systems.''<ref>{{cite book|title=Management Information Systems: Managing the Digital Firm|last1=Laudon|first1=Kenneth C.|last2=Laudon|first2=Jane P.|publisher=Prentice Hall/CourseSmart|year=2009|edition=11|page=164}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://bizfluent.com/about-5444925-history-management-information-systems.html|title=The History of Management Information Systems|last=Boykin|first=George|date=2017-09-26|website=bizfluent.com|access-date=2018-04-26}}</ref>

* First era – [[Mainframe]] and [[minicomputer]] computing
* Second era – [[Personal computer]]s
* Third era – [[Client/server]] networks
* Fourth era – [[Enterprise computing]] 
* Fifth era – [[Cloud computing]]

The ''first era'' (mainframe and minicomputer computing) was ruled by [[IBM]] and their mainframe computers for which they supplied both the hardware and software. These computers would often take up whole rooms and require teams to run them. As technology advanced, these computers were able to handle greater capacities and therefore reduce their cost. Smaller, more affordable minicomputers allowed larger businesses to run their own computing centers in-house / on-site / on-premises.

The ''second era'' ([[personal computers]]) began in 1965 as microprocessors started to compete with mainframes and minicomputers and accelerated the process of decentralizing computing power from large data centers to smaller offices. In the late 1970s, minicomputer technology gave way to personal computers and relatively low-cost computers were becoming mass market commodities, allowing businesses to provide their employees access to computing power that ten years before would have cost tens of thousands of dollars. This proliferation of computers created a ready market for interconnecting networks and the popularization of the Internet. (The first microprocessor—a four-bit device intended for a programmable calculator—was introduced in 1971, and microprocessor-based systems were not readily available for several years. The MITS Altair 8800 was the first commonly known microprocessor-based system, followed closely by the Apple I and II. It is arguable that the microprocessor-based system did not make significant inroads into minicomputer use until 1979, when [[VisiCalc]] prompted record sales of the Apple II on which it ran. The IBM PC introduced in 1981 was more broadly palatable to business, but its limitations gated its ability to challenge minicomputer systems until perhaps the late 1980s to early 1990s.)

The ''third era'' (client/server networks) arose as technological complexity increased, costs decreased, and the end-user (now the ordinary employee) required a system to [[Information sharing|share information]] with other employees within an enterprise. Computers on a common network shared information on a server. This lets thousands and even millions of people access data simultaneously on networks referred to as [[Intranet]]s.

The ''fourth era'' ([[enterprise computing]]) enabled by high speed networks, consolidated the original department specific software applications into integrated software platforms referred to as [[enterprise software]]. This new platform tied all aspects of the business enterprise together offering rich information access encompassing the complete managerial structure.