Absolute Beginner's Guide to Programming, Second Edition

Data Processing and Other Departments

A company's data processing department often goes by several names. It is known as DP, Data Processing, Information Services, Information Systems, IS, and MIS. No matter what the company calls the computer department, it is commonly in the center of almost every major new project the company takes on. When a company expansion, acquisition, or merger is about to take place, the data processing department must prepare for the additional computing resources needed. When an engi neering project begins, data processing supplies analysis programs for the engineers (although some engineering departments prefer to write their own programs and keep the central DP department in charge of the business side of the company). ...