Editing Business software (section)

== History ==
Business software is designed to increase profits by cutting costs or speeding the [[Productivity-improving technologies|productive cycle]]. In the early days of [[White-collar worker|white-collar]] business [[automation]], large [[mainframe computer]]s were used to tackle the most tedious jobs, like bank cheque clearing and factory accounting.

Factory accounting software was among the most widely-used early business software tools and included the automation of [[general ledger]]s, fixed assets inventory ledgers, cost accounting ledgers, accounts receivable ledgers, and accounts payable ledgers (including payroll, life insurance, health insurance, federal and state insurance and retirement).

The early use of software to replace manual white-collar labor was extremely profitable and caused a radical shift in white-collar labor. One computer could in many cases replace many white-collar administrative employees, without requiring any health or retirement benefits.

Building on this success, corporate consumers demanded from IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and other early suppliers, of business software to replace the old-fashioned drafting board. [[Computer-aided drafting]] for [[computer-aided manufacturing]] (CAD-CAM) arrived in the early 1980s. [[Project management software]] was also so valued in the early 1980s that it could cost up to $500,000 per copy.

One of the most noticeable, widespread changes in business software was the [[word processor]], whose rapid rise caused the decline of the ubiquitous IBM typewriter in the 1980s, as millions of companies switched to using [[Word Perfect]], and later [[Microsoft Word]]. Other popular computer programs for business were mathematical spreadsheet programs such as [[Lotus 1-2-3]], and later [[Microsoft Excel]].

In the 1990s business shifted towards [[globalism]], with the appearance of [[SAP AG|SAP]] software, which coordinates a supply-chain of vendors in order to streamline the operation of factory manufacturing. This process was triggered and vastly accelerated by the advent of the internet.

The next phase in the evolution of business software is being driven by the emergence of [[robotic process automation]] (RPA), which involves identifying and automating highly repetitive tasks and processes, with an aim to drive operational efficiency, reduce costs and limit [[human error]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Stokes|first1=Jonathan|title=A Two-Pronged Approach to Overcome Challenges in the Insurance Industry|date=9 August 2017|url=https://medium.com/@stokesjonathan38/a-two-pronged-approach-to-overcome-challenges-in-the-insurance-industry-b26146f9cb70|access-date=23 August 2017}}</ref> Industries at the forefront of RPA adoption include the [[insurance industry]], [[banking]] and other related financial services, the [[legal industry]], and the [[healthcare industry]].