A Case Study on Local Area Network Change Controls

Abstract

This case study documents a series of events that ended in a minor computer disaster. The root cause of this incident was a lack of basic change control procedures. This series of events took place in a local area network (LAN) environment. This is significant, as mission-critical information-processing applications have not been supported long by microcomputer-based technology. In the mainframe computing environment, many years of working with application-processing disrup-tions have resulted in the implementation of sound change control procedures. These practices usually guarantee that if mishaps take place, the applications and data will not be lost or corrupted. The microcomputer-based world has not been in existence long enough for a comparable culture to have evolved in that environment. In many cases, the hard earned fruits of experience gained in the mainframe computing envi-ronment have not been passed on to this new world.