If you are having a program developed, your developers might ask you to choose between a single-user system, a multi-user client-server system, or a web-based system. Here is an explanation of those three types of systems.
Single-user system
Single-user is just what it says it is. It is designed to be used by one user, usually in one computer. You will usually have one password to access all the data in the system. The system might allow other users to have different levels of access, but it will still be using a single computer (so you will have to wait in line to use the program if there are others before you). You might be able to install a single-user system in another computer, but the data you will have in the two computers will be different from each other.This is fine if you just have one computer, or have more than one computer and do not need to share data.
Client-server system
This kind of system has a central computer, called the "server", to store the data. Other computers used to access the data are called the "clients." This is why it is called a client-server system. A program is usually installed in the server to manage data and keep users from overwriting data from each other. A program is also installed in the client computers to access the data from the server and that only the users who are supposed to access the data are allowed. A client-server system can be accessed by many users at once depending on the configuration (you might have to spend more for 100 users as compared to 10 users). This type of system is usually installed in one location or LAN (local area network).
Web-based system
Also a multi-user system, the web-based system used for WANs (Wide Area Networks) or the Internet (which is essentially a public WAN). It also has a server, which is central and stores all the data, and clients which access the data, but the data sent to the client is through HTTP (Hyper Text Transport Protocol) which can be accessed by your regular web browser, such as Internet Explorer, Netscape, Mozilla, or Safari. This means that any device capable of using Internet protocols can access data from the system, which includes computers, internet through television, handheld palm tops, or mobile phones. Since data is sent through an industry standard format (protocol), the need to configure the client is minimalized, and you don't need to upgrade all the client computers when the server program is upgraded.
Which is best?
Single-user systems are best for small businesses where only a few people need to access data at the same time, or data is not important enough to be shared to other computers or users in the organization. Multi-user client-server or web-based systems are best for businesses who need to share data to more than one user or computer at the same time, and it is often important that the data be live (that means, when someone makes a change to the data, everyone else sees an updated copy). If you just want to share data over a LAN (local area network) over a set of PCs, the client-server system is usually the fastest to develop. If you want your data to be accessible over a wide range of devices, or the Internet, web-based is recommended.
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