Most Americans that follow the history of computing think of Atanasoff's ABC machine, Eckert and Mauchley's ENIAC, followed by the Univac, and a large number of IBM machines. I worked briefly with one of the electricians who had maintained the ENIAC at the University of Pennsylvania. Many of the early applications of these machines were military, such as the computation of artillery tables. It turns out that some of the earliest applications of business computing were done with the LEO computer, for a British tea shop in 1947. David Caminer, the developer of these early business processes, has an obituary in the NY Times, which has details of his developments. More detail about the LEO, modelled on the Cambridge EDSAC. Caminer was one of the few remaining pioneers of practical business computing.
Update: UK Computing Pioneers.
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