Networked Applications: A Guide to the New Computing Infrastructure

Understanding the rich conjunction of networking and computing is essential for anyone involved in the formulation and implementation of new application ideas, whether in business, education, or government. This book offers nonexperts an accessible, thoughtful introduction to the applications and infrastructure in networked computing, providing you with the information to make the right technological and organizational decisions as you work with developers to design or acquire effective computing solutions.

On a bookshelf dominated by either lightweight primers or heavyweight treatises, "Networked Applications: A Guide to the New Computing Infrastructure" stands apart: a smart book for smart people seeking the knowledge to meet new needs and to improve organizational processes.
* Takes a functional, top-down approach, moving from application opportunities to a forward-looking view of the possibilities and limitations of networking and computing technologies.
* Uses plain English to explain important networked computing terminology and concepts, such as security, middleware, and electronic payments.
* Empowers managers and other users with the knowledge required to shape the application development process.
* Offers frank and enlightening discussions of general application categories, hardware and software infrastructure, up-and-coming communication technologies, and policy issues-social, economic, and governmental-affecting the future of networked computing.