swivel chair interface

A swivel chair interface, sometimes known as swivel chair integration, is a system for computer input and interaction that requires users to move from one interface to another, sometimes duplicating work.

The term is a reference to environments, like a pre-computer office, where the user would interact with one system and then use the chair's swivel function to physically move to another system. In that case, the user might be swiveling between file cabinets and a typewriter. In modern use, the swivel chair is a metaphor for the space between the separate interfaces.

Similarly, system administrators in those days would perform operations manually, moving from one system to another. Unified interfaces and remote monitoring have transformed the administrator's job. A unified network management product, for example, provides access to common network functions – including planning, provisioning, configuring, monitoring, handling exceptions, logging and reporting manageable through the interface of a single console. Converged infrastructure management platforms provide a unified interface for the administration of software-defined systems in a data center. Administrators can automate tasks that traditionally have had to be performed manually and also required several different tools, with separate interfaces.