Computer bureau
A computer bureau is a service bureau providing computer services. Computer bureaus developed during the early 1960s, following the development of time-sharing operating systems. These allowed the services of a single large and expensive mainframe computer to be divided up and sold as a fungible commodity. Development of telecommunications and the first modems encouraged the growth of computer bureau as they allowed immediate access to the computer facilities from a customer's own premises. The computer bureau model shrank during the 1980s, as cheap commodity computers, particularly the PC clone but also the minicomputer allowed services to be hosted on-premises.
 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (October 2025) |
A computer bureau[1] is a service bureau providing computer services.
Computer bureaus developed during the early 1960s, following the development of time-sharing operating systems. These allowed the services of a single large and expensive mainframe computer to be divided up and sold as a fungible commodity. Development of telecommunications and the first modems encouraged the growth of computer bureau as they allowed immediate access to the computer facilities from a customer's own premises.
The computer bureau model shrank during the 1980s, as cheap commodity computers, particularly the PC clone but also the minicomputer allowed services to be hosted on-premises.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "FROM THE ARCHIVE: Early days of computing in the Highlands". ross-shirejournal.co.uk. 5 May 2024. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
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