Technology is the machine that enables information transformation.  Although most firms cited the non-technological challenges as the most significant roadblocks to their success in the information race, the technological challenges are substantial in their own right.  The information machines represent change to the traditional mainframe environments within the IT organizations.  This proved quite challenging for many of the firms.  Mainframes were designed and applied to the theories of summary or averaging information, long considered an acceptable business convention.  The contention is that the longstanding practice of summarizing or averaging data has never been adequate although the technology to deal with anything beyond summary has not been available.  Although machines are available to deal with the detail, the culture of summary is still in effect.  We think in summary.  We act in summary.  That’s why the challenge to the IT organization is significant.