Huntsville Utilities, A Case Study

Huntsville Utilities recognized the value of technology many years ago and computerized its maps in the 1980s. In 1995 they purchased handheld computers for the Field Services section but the transitionto computers was not adopted by the entire workforce. They continued to utilize paper forms and maps fsignificant amount of their tasks while using the computers for limited tasks. By 2004 they were having functionality and battery problems operating the older computers, which were very slow and starting to fail. The users also complained about lengthy search times to access information and delays in booting up.