Centralized computing power is coming back into style.

Is the network computer (NC) approach the solution to the increasing complexity of networking PCs within the law office or a case of technology deja vu?

If there is one given when dealing with technology today it is that the status quo never remains the status quo for very long. Change in the technology arena is an everyday event. For the small law firm, the lack of time and expertise to stay abreast of the fast pace of change represents a large stumbling block to efficiency. Most lawyers are far too busy practicing law or lack the basic expertise to stay on top of the latest technology trends and evaluate them for possible implementation within their practice. In many law firms, technology is advancing so rapidly that the ability to understand and properly utilize the associated benefits has become overwhelming. Small law firms frequently find it difficult to employ and retain anyone capable of dealing with the complexities of maintaining a local area network with multiple individual PCs. At the same time, most law firms struggle with the costs, both in terms of money and time, of providing upgrades for individual systems, and training employees to use their PCs. Centralized computing power would eliminate many of these problems as well as another headache for managers: PC users reconfiguring their own computers or loading unauthorized software, an action that could possibly cause the system to crash.

An emerging solution may actually be a shift backward toward the information systems (IS) structure of the original mainframe era. In the dark ages of computer usage, the computer department (now usually referred to as the IS department) was a centralized function with users having what was euphemistically referred to as a "dumb terminal." All programs and data were actually stored in a centralized machine and distributed out to the end-user who had very little control or decision-making authority. As the PC became affordable in the late 1980s, there was a shift away from the centralized control of the IS department to the end-user utility of the PC. Now, as we approach the year 2000, we see the process reversing with a move toward something called the network computer (NC).

Basically, a NC is a workstation that provides the end-user with access to a central server where all the data and application software reside. In its simplest form, the NC doesn't have a hard drive or a floppy drive or CD-ROM, nor does it contain an operating system like...