Distributed computing environments: Effects on software maintenance difficulty

Abstract

The computing world is undergoing a significant transformation from centralized computer architectures to non-centralized or distributed computer architectures. Historically, the largest single life cycle computer system cost has been for maintaining information system software. This paper examines a new area of research in software maintenance (and development in general), focusing on the issue of whether and to what extent distributed computer operating environments directly affect software maintenance. The issue depends on two diametrics of information system architectures: component simplicity and system complexity. The smaller (but more numerous) the system components, the easier they are to deal with individually (i.e., lower software maintenance costs) but the more difficult it is to deal with the overall system (i.e., higher software maintenance costs). This paper proposes a new conceptual model for information systems complexity based on component number and variety, interaction number and variety, and the overall rate of change. By applying this complexity model to distributed computing environments, this research sought empirical quantitative and qualitative data from IS system and application software analysts, designers, programmers, testers, and customer service representatives to determine whether the complexity of a distributed computer system has a greater effect on software maintenance than component simplicity and what the related explanatory factors are. Results indicate that the overall complexity of the studied distributed systems overwhelmed the ease-of-use and simplicity of their components — thus increasing the overall difficulty of software maintenance. Some distributed computing factors had a much greater effect than others. Finally, this paper offers some management guidance on lowering the cost of distributed computing environment software maintenance costs by adjusting the level of system distribution and by minimizing component and system difficulties.