InfoWorld 100 September 18, 1995

Top companies build on innovation

 Client/server: The bedrock of new business, by Deborah Asbrand

This year's InfoWorld 100 is about solving real problems. There's no hype here; there are only solutions.

"Because of client/server, we are more responsive to our customers and their needs. This also has allowed flexibility in our internal systems."

 How we found them

We chose the most innovative companies by analyzing their overall client/server strategy; technology use in general; and implementation of client/server technology through their most important project.

 The InfoWorld 100 At a Glance

The InfoWorld 100 companies were chosen from nearly 500 companies based on their profiles in the InfoWorld subscriber database or replies to a published request for information about use of client/server technology.

 1 Florida Power Corp.

Challenge: Distribute real-time and archived data and replace an aging minicomputer system.

"At a nuclear power plant, we're always planning for the worst."

 2 Cigna Systems

Challenge: Reduce the time and cost of ordering supplies.

"When we started, we thought the technology would sell the system, but that's not the case."

 3 Intelligent Electronics Inc.

Challenge: Develop and electronic information channel between Intelligent Electronics and its customers to simplify order entry, processing, and tracking.

"Object messaging allows resellers to be automatically notified of each order's status."

 4 Boston Emergency Services Team

Challenge: Establish an on-line patient-record system that is scalable and low cost.

"With this application, we can reconnect people in crisis with the people who know them best."

 5 Shepard's/McGraw-Hill

Challenge: Provide production capabilities that won't hinder new product ideas and are capable of growing with the business.

"We have vastly increased the number of products we can offer while decreasing our data processing costs."

 6 Metropolitan Water District

Challenge: Replace existing applications that were inflexible and unresponsive to the needs of the business.

"We wanted to get out of the application development business."

 7 Domecq Importers Inc.

Challenge: Delivering information to the field in a timely way.

"The system lets us make information accessible from the road, from home, from anywhere."

 8 Questar Corp.

Challenge: Create new business systems in response to regulatory changes.

"Believe it or not, we took our Oracle databases and migrated them up to the MVS mainframe host."

 9 American Credit Indemnity Co.

Challenge: A reliance on mainframe legacy systems was resulting in high technology costs and the inability to respond to the needs of the business.

"We have moved from assembly-line, batch processing to real-time, on-line processing."

 10 Orlando Health Care Group

Challenge: As the practice grew in staff size and patient population, inefficiency increased because patient call-intake staffers and doctors did not have easy access to patients' medical information.

"The absence of this system would have led to a scenario you would not have wanted to look at."

 11-100 Who are the InfoWorld 100?

Details on 90 more client/server projects.

"The limitation of mainframe systems can no longer define the end use of data."

 Common roadblocks to success

Technology is often the smallest problem facing companies embarking on client/server development.  Management attitudes and user apprehension can be more difficult to overcome.

"There was resistance to change."

 The 1994 Top Ten

The Top 10 from 1994 are continuing their deployment of client/server technology.

"Without client/server technology, we would be dead."

 Does your company deserve a spot on the InfoWorld 100?

If your company has deployed a client/server project that you think deserves to be on the list, please let us know.

Copyright © InfoWorld 1995