This paper concerns the comparison between centralized and distributed database storage and management systems. The prime objective of the study is to explore the limitations of centralized databases and databank management systems and establish the how the limitations were overcome in distributed databases and database management systems. The challenges and the solutions are based on today’s business requirements and dynamic needs of organizations. The forcers which drove the shift from centralized to distributed platforms are explored and include the emergence of client-server architecture, Internet computing, local and wide area networks and the World-Wide-Web. The advancement of major structures in prominent database and database management systems in previous decades made the upgrade to distributed platforms inevitable. Traditionally, organization’s data resources were centralized due to the origin of database management within the mainframe environment. The research will also explore the potentials held by distributed databases in providing organizations with competitive edges.
