network computer inventory

Network computer inventory was not a common business technology practice until the mid- 1980s. Personal computers were invented in the late 70s, and by the mid-80s the technology was sufficiently mature to allow computers to communicate with each other to share resources. The computer networking industry had to solve two main problems when attempting to connect computers to form networks: hardware and software. Hardware pieces are required to make the physical connection and software is needed to instruct hardware to communicate with each other. For more than a decade, the research on computer networking had been on hardware and software. Electronic engineers worked to invent new connecting hardware and cables, to increase speed and capacity, to decrease the hardware size, and to increase the overall hardware performance. One the other hand, computer scientists directed their research to develop new programming languages, to search for better algorithm, and to develop new operation systems and application software to be used in a networking environment.

As computer networking became more common, there was increasing needs for network professionals to design, implement, and manage networks. Since the objectives of computer networking are to share resources and to support business processes, network professionals must have not only technical skills but also business concepts. Although the management of networks involves hardware, software, business process and users, research in network management continues to remain mainly in the technical areas, such as computer science and electronic engineering.