Is Your Enterprise Zero Latent?

Software Magazine, Oct, 1998 by Rick Whiting

The next buzz phrase you will hear is "zero latency." That, according to Gartner Group, the market research firm that coined the term, describes computer systems that are architected in such a way that business processes are accelerated and an enterprise can react more quickly to changing conditions--in theory, instantaneously.

The goal of a zero-latent communication and software infrastructure is to reduce information "float"--the time between when data is captured in one place and when it becomes available and usable elsewhere in the system. Gartner identifies Delta Airlines Corp., 3Com Corp., and Daiwa Securities as examples of companies that are applying the principles of zero latency across multiple applications.

Although an entire enterprise must be structured correctly to achieve zero latency, the IT components of such a strategy include a network and software architecture capable of exchanging information across technical and organizational boundaries, and end-user interface tools and applications that allow users to quickly send, receive, process, and analyze data.

And you were just catching on to the idea of IT providing business value to the enterprise...