Assessing the Impact of Information Centers on End-User Computing and Company Performance

As company investment in end-user computing EUC grows so does the need for the organization to provide end-user support and training; encourage resource sharing; establish mechanisms for management and operational control over data resources, systems quality assurance, and resource acquisition. To satisfy these needs, many organizations have established information centers IC. ICs have been shown to be very dynamic organizations which are continuously evolving and vary dramatically from company to company in terms of location, resources available, and the types of services provided. This study surveyed 215 organizations to assess present shifts in EUC and IC activities, as well as the impact of IC performance on EUC overall company effectiveness and payoffs from EUC. The results show among other things that in many organizations the EUC support burden is being shifted to IS departments, to outsiders, and to the end-users themselves; that EUC support is indeed a requirement for overall EUC effectiveness and for the company to derive payoffs from the EUC investment