Burroughs' Future in Electronics
MRS. MARY HAWES*
- NMAA**
1959 Proceedings - Data Processing
(*Mrs.
Mary Hawes is Senior Product Planning Analyst with the Burroughs
Corporation -Electro Data Division.)
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Burroughs' future is electronics.
In fact we don't have to wait for the future, Burroughs' present is
electronics. We have so many developments in progress that I could easily
spend the next hour, my allotted time, describing some of the very
interesting phases of our work. I could even limit myself to those
involved with data processing equipment without ever touching on some of
the problems with which I believe you are most vitally concerned. What I
should like to do before discussing my favorite subject of data processing
and the use of electronic computers, is to take you with me for the next
five or ten minutes during which time we will forget our present problems.
You can even forget. you are in this room if you wish. You" see, I
had the privilege of having a math professor who used to take us on such
jaunts in which he would describe how various businesses, industries and
government agencies were using mathematical tools about which we were
studying or which might be under development. It was great fun and
furthermore, it broadened our horizon and helped us to realize that our
problems, though large in themselves, were part of a much larger group of
problems.
Slightly more than ten years ago today,
the guiding minds of Burroughs recognized that Burroughs' future lay in
electronics. They started then setting up the research laboratories and
obtaining the facilities which they knew would be required if we were to
develop the electronic tools which business, industry and our national
defense would need.
I am well aware that most of you are in
business or industry. Before you set up a mental block against my
including "national defense" so much in my introductory remarks,
I would like to emphasize the very important role it plays in the overall
scheme. The most important requirement to our national defense is that we
have equipment that will do a specified job in no more than a given
elapsed time, with the utmost in reliability; and that such equipment be
ready for this job no later than a given date. In other words the costs
involved with not being able to do a job or not being able
to do a job in the specified time, is of much greater significance than
the cost in dollars and cents of doing the job. Business and industry come
into the picture when we have the equipment that can do the specified job
for no more than "x" dollars and cents. Perhaps now you can
understand why it is that various developments are first made available to
our national defense. There may be a considerable time lag before they are
offered to you. A great amount of additional research, including the
development of different techniques, usually must be spent to make some of
these tools practical for your consideration.
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All of you know something about the very large data
processing national defense projects known as the Sage and Atlas programs.
The Sage project is the Air Force radar and data processing network
developed to protect us against air attack. Burroughs has been principally
concerned with the problem of developing data processing and transmitting
equipment for this system. Again with the large scale data processing.
equipment for the guidance of the Atlas missile, first at Cape Canaveral
and now around the nation, Burroughs is playing a leading role in
developing computers which can control the path of a missile even after it
has been fired. Furthermore, since the control comes from a program,
improved guidance mechanics can be incorporated into the system. To give
you some idea of the size of these programs, Burroughs contracts on these
two program alone amount to something in the neighborhood of $220,000,000.
From the very large electronic data processing systems
we can go to the very small and compact computing systems for submarines
and aircraft, and to electric timing devices which could be used in the
warhead of a missile. We are doing a great amount of work on
miniaturization, sub-miniaturization and micro-miniaturization.
Miniaturization has been explained as the process by which a lot of little
pieces spread over a lot of square inches are all
crammed together in the smallest possible sealed container. For example, a
one cubic inch plastic block may contain as many parts and pieces as the
average portable radio. Yes, I know you are already asking yourself, how
do you get inside when something goes wrong? The answer is, you don't. To
begin with, it isn't necessary to "get inside" very often; and
if you should, you throw the offending unit away and replace it with
another, Life tests run on some of these units indicate you should expect
to replace an offending unit every ten years or more.
We are carrying on some very interesting
work in the area, of memory devices. Even though the
results of some of our research using some of these memories on a small
scale seem fantastic even to us, we realize it will probably be
considerable time before we can make them available to you in the size you
will require.
To come a little closer to home, I am sure most of you
have. heard of the 'work we are doing in the area of electrostatic
printing. A prototype Whippet Printer was built for the Signal Corps which
prints 3,000 words per minute. However, the electrostatic technique makes
possible the printing of alpha-numeric information at speeds up to 30,000
characters per second.
A great amount of research has gone into developing
techniques by which printed information, such as that recorded on bank
checks with magnetic ink, can be automatically read by electronic devices.
The ability to automatically read this information together with the
ability to control the rapid movement of pieces of paper varying in size,
permits us to sort bank checks at speeds of 1,500 checks per minute. This
development is a major key in making practical the use of electronic data
processing systems for banks, including the area of commercial
bookkeeping.
The value of research has always been recognized by
Burroughs. Many |
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21
of the projects initiated in the
laboratory today will not reach you for two, five or even ten years. Last
year, almost 60% of our sales were for products not known ten years ago.
It is expected that an even larger percentage of our income ten years from
today will be from products and developments now in the laboratory or not
yet on the drawing board.
But enough of the future and near
future. I have not begun to cover the many projects in which Burroughs is
currently participating, nor have I even mentioned any of our electronic
computer systems with which you may have worked in the past or with which
you are currently working. In fact, from this point on, any
reference to equipment will merely be to help put across a point. I wish
to discuss with you what we believe to be some of the problems you have
encountered or will encounter in your data processing using electronic
computer systems.
It was in 1886 that William Seward
Burroughs developed the first practical adding machine. Burroughs still
makes adding machines but I dare say there is as little resemblance
between the appearance and anatomy of that adding machine and the one our
salesman offers you today, as there is between the personnel who used the
equipment in 1886 as in contrast to today's user. However, the reason for
the development of such a tool is not so different. Business and industry
recognized that more accurate control was necessary if their businesses
were to grow and prosper.
In the early days of electronic data
processing computers, a great amount of effort went into proving that we
could use them effectively. Having put data processing applications on
these electronic computer systems and also having gone into companies and
seen the same jobs being performed principally by young ladies, I have
never ceased to be amazed. I am certain that it would take me a long time
to be as dexterous as some of these young ladies are as they sort pieces
of paper or insert and withdraw cards from a file. I have even seen row
after row of persons operating desk calculators with one hand and
recording results with the other. However, it is also very alarming to
realize that the greatest speed and accuracy is obtained when their
actions become automatic and all but bypass the thinking mechanism of the
human being.
I well recall one of our early studies
in which we were asked if we could process 50,000 transactions per hour
against a master file, creating an up-to-date master file together with a
comprehensive tabulation of the results. We were finally permitted to
actually put the problem on the computer and demonstrated we could process
117,000 such transactions per hour more than twice as many as required. We
were immediately asked if we could introduce a large rate table, which was
in the same sequence as the file, and compute various required values as
we processed the transactions. The procedure was altered, with the result
that our rate of processing transactions now dropped to approximately
105,000 per hour. Although we had been given a week to incorporate this
change, we were able to do so and check out the altered procedure in 8
clock hours, including one hour of computer time. I shall never forget the
meeting which followed, for it was then I was told, "Mary, it is far
more important and significant that
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you were able to incorporate such a major change in
procedure in so short a time, than it was that you could process the
transactions at the rate of 117,000 per hour rather than 50,000 per
hour." Normally about 30 persons would have been involved with this
phase of their data processing because of the large volumes of data
involved. The length of the training period required in effecting a major
change in procedure, including the correction of the errors made en route,
could easily have taken a major part of a year. I might add one of the
major headaches in effecting new procedures where a number of persons are
involved, comes with the way exceptions are handled. And as you know so
well, data processing problems sometimes seem to be one exception followed
by another exception. Of course, it isn't quite this bad. But it must be
remembered that most of our data processing is concerned with
"SERVICE" of one type or another and "SERVICE" is very
closely allied to human beings. Where human beings are involved, you will
always have exceptions. Thus, the most important feature of electronic
computer systems is the ability to change.
Let us carry this idea a bit farther and say that one
of the prerequisites of data processing is the ability to change. Business
is never stagnant, it never remains the same for long. A rather striking
example of this that comes to mind is the company that was making foam
rubber sofa pillows, .
and mattresses. They had a very successful business and
decided to automate their production line to speed up their production and
reduce their expenses. In a relatively short period of time, their
sales of sofa pillows zoomed to new heights, while the sales of mattresses
decreased slightly. Production was adjusted; the same amount of raw foam
material was used but a much larger percentage went into sofa pillows. The
only difficulty came near the end of the fixed production line where
pillows were coming at such a rate that it was impossible for the girls to
handle them fast enough in the space available. A sea of pillows soon
developed. You can imagine the results of having built a production line
without full realization of the need to change. In this case they brought
in more women and set up an inefficient but workable system to stem the
tide until they were able to cope with their "changing" world.
Somewhere, in a large percentage of the' articles you
read today on electronic data processing, you will find the term
"systems approach." This is not just a catch phrase; it has a
very real and deep significance. I am tempted to say that the need for a
"systems approach" is no greater today than it was ten years
ago. This would not be true. The world in which we live today is not the
same as it was ten years ago. The requirements in business and industry
have altered in proportion to our personal lives. Once it was sufficient
to produce a better mousetrap.. Today you must also merchandise it more
cleverly and be prepared to service it more effectively than does your
competitor. However I do believe, looking backward, that the need for
seeing your requirements as a whole, has always been present. But when you
go into electronic data processing, you are face to face with making many
decisions in advance. It sometimes appears that because of this
requirement to plan "What will we do if ---?", has forced you to
examine your
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problems more closely than you have for
a long time. So many of these "little" questions: are confounded
with company policy. When you realize that every time a certain exception
presents itself, it will be processed in the same prescribed manner, you
find yourself giving it more thought than you might have on a
"one-of-a-kind, every-so-often theory."
This scrutiny at a detail level can be
the eye opener. Once you have started the analysis, it is not too long
before you realize that the large savings in paper work management come at
the systems level. You also realize that now you have a tool which not
only lends itself to a systems approach but which can produce a far more
effective piece of work if a systems approach is used. I have not heard of
a single complaint from a company that has spent a large sum of money
looking into its data processing procedures and requirements as a part of
an electronic data processing system evaluation, since they have found
that money was well spent whether they decided in favor of or against the
acquisition of such a system. Not so long ago, I read of a company who had
decided in favor of an electronic data processing system. They also
decided not to wait until the electronic equipment was installed to
incorporate their overall systems approach into their methods and
procedures. They estimated the savings resulting from changed procedures
would not only pay for the study but also for the first year's rental on
the new system. It is my contention, and I have said it in front of many
an audience, that the majority of users of electronic data processing know
more about their problems, at both the overall and the detail levels, at
the end of their first year of operation than they had ever thought of. In
the majority of cases, the computer has been used for procedures not
possible with manual methods or with tabulating equipment. The results
have been extremely interesting.
It has been estimated that between 65%
and 85% of the time spent in getting a data processing problem ready for a
computer is spent in the definition of the problem. I have experienced
running a "realistic" demonstration analysis on a
"system," having this system undergo six major revisions during
preparation for actual installation (meaning we now incorporated the
various exceptions and idiosyncrasies which had not been defined as part
of the original problem), and one more major revision after installation.
I should add that this system naturally enough included a file maintenance
job and that the creation of the master file from a composite of several
card files, turned out to be almost as difficult a job as the data
processing system once the master file existed. In attempting to
explain why the problem definition seems to be so involved, it is my
opinion that the difficulty lies in the fact that so many different people
know only a small fraction of the job. In some instances, pieces are
missing; in other instances, functions overlap and may even be handled
slightly differently depending upon who does it.
Data processing is never simple. The only job that is really simple is the
one you haven't yet tackled. I well recall the first file maintenance
system we developed as a demonstration problem for an electronic data
processor. It was a beautiful system; and it worked fine on paper. It was
one of those "straight forward" life insurance jobs where
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we took care of everything since we allowed every field
to vary. It took us several man years to do the job and naturally having
"received the problem," we didn't have to work too closely with
the people who knew the problem more intimately. Even today I almost blush
at our innocence and ignorance. The processing procedures were all right
as far as they went, but they didn't go far enough. We had attempted to be
very sophisticated and achieve the utmost as far as computer usage was
concerned. However, the problems we created for the operator were
fantastic. We had not faced up to the control and general flow of
information or paper work within the company whatsoever. In other words,
we had taken a very real application and put it on an electronic data
processor without looking at the entire system or how we were to control
it in a day-to-day environment. We had a group of procedures each of which
was fine in itself; but we had no system and very little control.
Time is so very important today. There never seems
to be enough of it. As a result of too little time, of attempting to make
use of a new tool before the ground has been prepared, a number of
electronic data processing systems have been installed prematurely. This
may have resulted in an expensive lesson but it may also have helped us to
learn our lesson earlier and better than we might otherwise have done. A
greater number of persons have found their problems to be larger and more
complicated than to be smaller and simpler. Also they have found that as
the complications rise, the cost also rises. On the other side of the
ledger, they have discovered the potential of their hew-found tool for the
solution of problems they could not have tackled otherwise. But perhaps
most important of all, they have found that by using an electronic data
processing system, they obtain control to a degree not possible
heretofore. We talk about management reports, about management by
exception. We talk of maximizing profits and minimizing costs. We dream
about the time it will be possible to have the month's financial report
available on the first, or at most the second of the following month; or
furthermore, for the Manager to be able to dial into, a computer from his
desk, and ask for certain detail figures on a particular part of that
report. He might even ask for an analysis of the data related to this
particular part of the system over say the past 3 or 6 months. He might
ask that the system analyze what the results would have been if
"such and such" had happened 6 months ago, 3
months ago, or predict what would be the result of incorporating a
particular change assuming everything else will follow its current trend.
There is no question but that being able to obtain this type of
information when you want it, is worth a very great deal. How many dollars
and cents? No one has been willing to estimate it for me.
I was talking to an industrialist less than a year ago
about what he thought the computer climate might be four years in the
future. He forecasted that his company would rate priorities to computer
applications as:
A. Design Applications--20 %
B. Optimization Problems--40 %
c. Data Processing Applications--40 %.
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He went on to say that the reason for the priorities
was that the design problems just had to get on the computer. The savings
accruing from computer usage for these type problems, in time, and
dollars and cents meant life blood to his company. In the area of
optimization problems, he told of a relatively recent experience in which
they had put a given problem on one of the faster computers with a large
memory. Never before had it been possible to analyze such a large amount
of related information; what was more, the results from this particular
problem were available to management before they made their decision
relative to the problem area. The story went on. Management took time to
evaluate what their decision would have been had Fhis information not been
available, in contrast to what their decision actually was. The saving to
the company was a low order six digit dollar figure. They place data
processing applications last only because the others must be placed first.
The number of computing systems being sold for data
processing applications is steadily increasing. The amount of paper work
is still increasing in volume while the number of available competent
clerks is decreasing. But still more important than the requirement to
process paper work is the requirement for more accurate, up-to-date, and
relevant information to form a better basis for management decisions.
I have talked in very general terms about certain overall data
processing requirements including:
1. Approach your problem as a whole.
2. Allow for changes in procedures.
3. Prepare in advance for exceptions.
4. Do not overlook operational environmental requirements.
5. Recognize the need for management information and control.
6. Make your tools more effective through research.
To me, ,the two greatest problem areas for data
processing applications lie with input-output and with the development of
automatic programming techniques that will permit us to do the job at hand
effectively and efficiently. You are hard headed businessmen who want all
that I have mentioned and ,then some. You want answers to all those
problems which have been bothering you for the past urn-teen months but
for which you see no solution; in some cases you haven't been able to
formulate the problem but you want the answer nevertheless. What is more.
you want all of this, faster and more accurately than you have been
getting your work done at a price less than you are currently paying. The
only trouble with this is that too many of you are sitting back with a
"show me" or a "watch and wait" attitude.
For many years there were very few who felt that data
processing type problems would lend themselves to automatic coding
techniques. This was due primarily to the fact that there are seldom any
two problems which are identical. Not only are the problems different, but
the sub-sections are different. However, the approach to many problems is
similar and the structure of the sub-sections is similar. The solution
lies in the use of what we call
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generators rather than the fixed-subroutines which are
common in the mathematical type problems. In using a generator, you start
with a structure of skeletal coding and build a
particular subroutine to fit a particular set of specifications or
parameters. You might say you make use of generators to produce
"custom coding."
It is interesting to note the difference in the reason
for the development of automatic coding techniques for mathematical type
problems as opposed to the data processing type problems. Automatic
techniques for the mathematical type problem were of direct benefit to the
person doing the programming as a labor saving device. The programmer
found he could use the same section of coding, with only a few address
modifications, in another problem or many problems. He found it more
interesting to let the computer incorporate these sections or subroutines
not only because the computer could do it faster and more accurately than
he, but also the programmer was now free to tackle new problems. From
here, the next step was to devise methods by which the programmer could
state his problem in general mathematical terms to eliminate still more
coding. The form in which the problem was stated incorporated, to a
certain extent, the idiosyncrasies of the particular
computer for which the compiler was written and also of the individuals
who developed the compiler. This necessitated restating the same problem
in a slightly different form for different computers. Especially was this
true when the computers were developed by different manufacturers. All of
you know of the efforts which have been expended recently toward defining
a common algebraic language so that it will be possible to state a
mathematical problem so that it can be understood not only by many
individuals, but also by many different computers.
For the data processing type problems, first came some
generalized routines such as sorts, merges, and report writers. These were
separate routines in which the parameters were specified so that various
addresses and switches could be modified by the computer to make the
resultant routine work on data consistent with the specified parameters.
These are generators and were the forerunners of the generators which are
now used to develop subroutines or larger segments of routines. It was
recognized at a relatively early date that the major difficulty
encountered with data processing problems was with handling of information
or the flow of information in and out of a data processing system.
Furthermore, the greatest percentage of inefficiency
lay in this area. From the operational standpoint, the greatest amount of
difficulty lay in the same area since the input-output equipment, being
electro-mechanical, was more subject to down time than were the electronic
circuits. Coupled with all of this was the necessity to incorporate
restart points not only because of the length of time a particular problem
might take, but also for recovery in the event of malfunction on the part
of the data processing system. Towering above all these considerations was
the fact that the same routines will be run by different operators and
that changes must be incorporated from time to time within these routines,
most often by someone other than the original programmer. Furthermore, the
work must be accomplished on time. Paychecks must be delivered on time.
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Vendors must be paid within prescribed periods of time.
Orders must be filled on time. Therefore, if changes are to be applied,
they must be applied correctly. 'Not only must the corrections be applied
correctly within one routine, but in all routines where the change is
reflected. Out of this comes the realization that in data processing
applications, the emphasis must be based on the entire system and' upon
its maintenance.
Much time, analysis and experimentation have been spent
in an effort to determine the best way to represent a data processing
system taking into account the difficulties associated with its:
1. Definition
2. Solution
3. Operation
4. Maintenance
5. Revision.
We at Burroughs are now on our way toward developing
automatic coding tools based upon the use of multi-level flow charts with
problem definition in English words, algebraic expressions and
mathematical equations. Operational and procedural standards that
contribute toward good systems organization are further incorporated by
use of a library of subroutines, generators and data descriptions. The
entire automatic approach is biased to favor revision and maintenance
rather than initial solution.
Let me take a few minutes to attempt to indicate some
of the problems we faced, and which contributed to our approach. In
overall, an automatic data processing system must recognize that human
beings initiate the action, human beings control the action, and human
beings also make use of the end product. Furthermore, the abilities and
characteristics of the various types of individuals who are part of the
system must neither be overestimated nor underestimated if they are to be
able to turn in a "best" performance. Procedures must be kept
simple to use; if complicated or sophisticated techniques are necessary,
they must be internal. Emphasis must also be placed on economical
operation as well as on most effective results.
It has been estimated that about 65 % to 85 % of
the cost of getting ready a data processing problem for a computer lies in
the definition of the problem It is also one area that does not lend
itself to the compression of time. If you do ,not do sufficient planning
and flow charting initially, you add time at an exponential rate later.
One of the reasons for the complexities involved in defining the problem
lies with the fact that a properly designed data
processing problem normally cuts across department lines. In different
groups, practices differ, language differs and occasionally similar
overlapping functions are processed somewhat differently. Since many
persons collaborate in defining the problem, the language used must be
understood by all. Not only must' all parts of the problem work, but they
must work together as a unit The easiest place to locate a logical error
or weakness is at this time when the problem is laid out in flow chart
form. First is the general flow chart which includes how it ties into the
company organization; second is the process flow chart which presents the
systems organization of the
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DATA PROCESSING Page 28
problem itself, in terms of its various parts; third
are the detail flow charts for each part. This detail flow chart is
organized according to functions which are to be performed and more
oriented toward the problem than toward the computer. The
"language" used to define the problem must be understood by the
person who knows the problem. We find all too often when procedures are
presented verbally, one is so busy following the speaker that he is not
free to explore alternate paths which may occur to him. On the other hand,
if he does explore, he loses some information which is being presented and
that is not good. Broad written paragraphs usually leave material out
because of the voluminous writing which is required. The detail flow chart
organized by function, not so detailed as instruction level, together with
the larger view flow charts seem to answer the problem with regard to:
1. Ability to obtain overall logic as well as detail logic
2. Ability to examine
3. Detail without too much writing
4. Standard language makes its meaning clear and concise.
Now if we add a fifth and sixth advantage:
5. Easy to translate to machine code
6. Easy to maintain and revise
we really may have an excellent start toward reducing some of our major
headaches.
It has been said many times, the greatest advantage of
an electronic computer is not its ability to do a job faster but rather to
do it better and also retain the ability to change and improve as we
develop better procedures and techniques.
We must not lose sight of the desirability to process
our problems on more than one computer. In the early days we recognized
this by seeing that it was possible to write a tape file on one tape unit
and read it from any other connected to the same data processor. We soon
recognized the necessity to read or write tapes on different computers of
the same model as a requirement for back-up. This was enlarged to include
different data processing systems by the same manufacturers as the
installation grew in size. Now we recognize the necessity to be able to
easily take the same data processing problem and put both it and its
associated data on different systems. It is possible in a centralized
operation that the central computing system is fed by several different
smaller computing systems each of which is doing "practically"
the Same job. -It would be desirable both from the information
and from the cost standpoint to have the problem defined once and
only once with the variations added.
Again, let me emphasize the maintenance and revision
problems. It has been estimated by a number of users of large scale
equipment that as much as 25 % of programming talent may be used in taking
care of production runs. This consists of supervising the operation,
updating the system and also making changes that would improve the system.
This need to change easily and correctly exists long before an operation
is in production. The chances
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are excellent that at least one major and several minor
changes will be made in a system after it is "frozen." These
changes are not unwarranted so, therefore, we need to recognize this as a
pattern and be able to cope with it.
During the last few minutes, I have attempted to point
out just a few of the difficulties you have
encountered or will soon encounter. They may be
"old hat" to you because the same type of problem cropped up in
the last system you were responsible for. With
electronic speeds, they just crop up over a shorter period of time.
Burroughs is not only doing research which allows them
to produce equipment which will better meet your requirements of
capability, reliability and cost but also programming tools so you can use
that equipment more effectively and efficiently. We
recognize that you in the field have the problems which you alone can
solve. We are attempting to give you the ' best
tools possible so that together we can contribute to better business,
Industry and government management and thus continue as a
leader of the world of tomorrow.
*Mrs.
Mary Hawes is Senior Product Planning Analyst with the Burroughs
Corporation -Electro Data Division. |
**Editors
Note: Who Was the NMAA? In the following paragraphs there is a brief
overview of the NMAA, which became DPMA (my era!) and then
evolved into AITP --Ed Sharpe
Archivist for SMECC
History of AITP
The year was 1951. Harry S. Truman was President of the
United States. A 3 bedroom home cost $9,000.00. A new Ford listed for
$1,480.00; postage was $.03; and a loaf of bread cost $.16. Joe DiMaggio
retired from baseball; I Love Lucy premiered; and peace talks began in
Korea.
In Chicago, a group of machine accountants got together
and decided that the future was only beginning for the TAB machines they
were operating. They were members of a local group called the Machine
Accountants Association (MAA). The technology was new; something few
people understood and managing this new technology was a skill that even
fewer people possessed. The machine accountants recognized the need to
form a professional support group, a national association, to address the
growing issues of this new technology. Thus on December 26, 1951, after a
constitutional convention was held in Chicago, the State of Illinois
granted a charter and the National Machine Accountants Association (NMAA)
was founded.
Groups from Houston, Columbus, Wabash Valley, the Twin
Cities, Penn-Del, and 22 others were the first to join NMAA. Robert L.
Jenal, systems manager for Toni Company, was elected the first
International President at the 1952 First Annual Convention in
Minneapolis.
In 1960, the association sponsored a meeting of
educators and businessmen with the purpose of establishing the Certificate
in Data Processing (CDP) professional examination program. The first CDP
exam was held in 1962 in New York. 1962 was also the year that the
association leaders recognized the changing nature of information
processing techniques brought about by the introduction of the computer.
Thus, the members decided in 1962 to adopt a more progressive name, the
Data Processing Management Association (DPMA), to reflect the changing
industry.
Always striving to promote the continued education of
the members, the leadership of DPMA created the Registered Business
Programmer (RBP) examination in 1970. Both the CDP and the RBP exams were
given annually under the rules established by the Certification Council,
at test centers in colleges and universities across North America.
Eventually, DPMA decided to help establish the Institute for the
Certification of Computer Professionals (ICCP) to stimulate more
widespread interest and industry acceptance of the examinations. ICCP
began administering the CDP program in early 1974.
The association has always acknowledged the
contributions of prominent professionals within the Information Technology
field. Beginning in 1969 with the creation of the annual Computer Sciences
Man-of-the-Year Award for outstanding contributions to the information
processing industry, DPMA has established a long-standing tradition of
honoring IT professionals from every aspect of the industry. This
prestigious award was renamed the Distinguished Information Sciences Award
in 1980 and is awarded every year at the Annual Meeting of the Members.
As the industry has evolved, so has the association.
Starting as the NMAA, evolving into the DPMA, and then into our current
evolution in 1996 of the Association of INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
PROFESSIONALS (AITP), the association has kept pace with the changing
needs and interests of our members. AITP members span every level of the
IT industry from mainframe systems, to micro systems, to PC based LAN and
WAN systems, to virtual systems and the internet. AITP has special niches
created that cater to the special interests of our members. Our members
are found in every facet of society as well. They're in colleges and
universities; banking; industry; retail; the armed forces; local, state
and federal governments; hospitals; etc.
Copyright © 1998 Association of INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
PROFESSIONALS
To further information, or to become a member of AITP go to:
http://www.aitp.org/
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