Enterprise information systems state of the art: Past, present and future trends

•Brief history of Enterprise Information Systems (EISs).•EISs discussion in the context of EIS design and engineering.•Impact of Enterprise Modelling, Enterprise Architecture, Enterprise Integration and Interoperability and Enterprise Networking on EISs.•Special Issue introductory paper on “Future Perspectives on Next Generation Enterprise Information Systems”.

This state-of-the-art paper is intended to set the scene for a special issue of the Computers in Industry Journal on “Future Perspectives on Next Generation Enterprise Information Systems”. It gives a brief history of Enterprise Information Systems (EISs) and discusses various aspects of EISs, including EIS design and engineering, the impact of enterprise modelling, enterprise architecture, enterprise integration and interoperability and enterprise networking on EISs before concluding.