Comment Articles

It doesn't matter whether IT matters

Published: 02 Oct 2003 09:50 BST

Innovation will happen on top of the more commodity layers. And, the R&D will mostly come from the vendors, who are more interested in broad distribution of their innovations; lifting all boats as opposed to the few who want to pay for some high-priced proprietary code.

However, adopting the IT as commodity approach has some significant challenges. First, IT organisations tend to hang onto legacy systems for too long. They are reluctant to rip out the old stuff and replace it with less complex, more powerful solutions.

Certainly, risk is inherent in any rip-and-replace strategy, but the alternative is continuing to spend time and money maintaining systems with support personnel and chewing gum rather investing in more cost-effective, modern platforms.

Rip and replace doesn't necessarily mean getting rid of mainframes or other mission-critical systems, but it does require a holistic look at the entire infrastructure in the context of creating a platform that will be competitive in the next 10 years. The upfront costs and risks are potentially sizable, but a slower migration could be a real competitive disadvantage.

A second and more profound challenge is that IT organisations, as well as service providers, lack truly skilled, visionary people who can executive on a bold "commodity" plan. It's not a technology issue, but about people and leadership.

Given the disappointments of the last few years after the bubble, many organisations are gun shy and economically strapped when it comes to making IT investments. The fear factor creates a paralytic effect, which makes companies far more conservative in their decision-making. In addition, an exodus of qualified IT talent, as well as outsourcing, has decimated the ranks of many corporations, creating a situation ripe for consultants who may have their own interests at heart in recommending an IT strategy.

At the end of the day, the measure of IT isn't whether it matters or is a commodity -- it's whether the people responsible for delivering an IT platform have the right goals and can execute on a strategic plan. Blaming the technology for some poor performance simply avoids the fact that it's primarily a people issue.