MIS managers around the globe are seriously exploring their options for downsizing from mainframes to distributed computing systems - but little more than theory has been available to guide them. Practical and real-life in focus, this comprehensive volume presents detailed interviews of numerous MIS managers and directors from top companies who have made the transition from mainframe computers to smaller computers - showing how they did it and the trials and tribulations they experienced along the way. It provides MIS managers with frameworks and decision making criteria for charting their own paths off the mainframe. Focuses on the integral role of mainframe downsizing for achieving business strategy goals; features detailed interviews with numerous MIS managers and directors from prestigious companies (e.g., American Airlines, GE Information Systems, ITT Sheraton, BF Goodrich) regarding their companies' downsizing strategies and implementation programs; and contrasts the U.S. and Japanese markets in detail.