The ability of systems to exchange and make use of information in a straightforward and useful way; this is enhanced by the use of standards in communication and data format. For example, a microcomputer conforming to the SCSI standard can be connected to any SCSI peripheral device—i.e. many different hard disks, printers, etc. In software, operating systems that run on different CPUs, and Microsoft Word’s ability to read files created using Excel are both examples of interoperability.