Which of the following was NOT a characteristic of early IT deployment in companies?

The characteristic of decentralization across departments was not typical of early IT deployment in companies. In the early stages of IT implementation, organizations primarily relied on centralized IT units to manage technology and computing resources. This centralization allowed for more control, consistency, and security over the data and systems in use.

Limited access to technology meant that only a few employees were granted permissions to use the systems, often based on their role or need-to-know basis. Additionally, large mainframe computers were the cornerstone of early computing, characterized by their substantial size and capability to handle large volumes of data for processing.

In contrast, decentralization implies a distribution of IT resources and decision-making authority among various departments, which is a more modern approach to IT strategy that emerged as technology became more accessible and user-friendly. Thus, the answer aligns accurately with the characteristics typically associated with early IT deployment.