Data communications: Local data nets: Untying the office knot: Establishing standards for accessing local data networks may facilitate intra-office communications

The author points out that business communications are headed for a spectacular expansion in this decade as companies draw up plans to convert their headquarters into electronic offices. But the problem is that office equipment is not standardised so that layers of one manufacturer's equipment cannot interface with the equipment of another manufacturers without using special adapters. To make matters worse, whole commercial networks are incompatible, thus the need for standardisation. The author discusses this problem of standards, solutions proposed, difficulties encountered and other pertinent issues.