This opening chapter provides a historical perspective on the evolution of computing, tracing its journey from early computational methods to the emergence of networking and the advent of data-centric computing. The chapter sets out to inspire readers to develop a holistic understanding of the intricate interactions among hardware, software, and networking. It introduces the principle of hardware and software codesign as a critical approach in constructing efficient data management systems. The goal is to achieve high throughput and low latency in modern data processing, setting the stage for the detailed exploration that follows in subsequent chapters.