In a central mainframe environment where the computers, programs, data files, and processes are centrally maintained, policies and procedures ensure recovery for various conditions ranging from the need to restore a file to more significant disaster situations.
In the networked environment, security systems and back up become much more complex. In a distributed computing environment, programs, data file updates, and application processes may be occurring anywhere on the physical network. There are dependencies on connections, cables, and intermediary servers to process transactions or respond to requests for information.
Increased access to integrated databases requires processes and procedures to ensure authorized access to information. Access to the network can take place anywhere, depending upon the capabilities of the network and communications systems. So security systems need to be designed into layers that allow validated access to the network and continuing validation of a person's right to navigate and access the information system. As the access to information becomes more important, so too does the ability to access the data on a 24-hour basis.