IT Is At The Center Of Your Business

IT gets a bad rap: "It's expensive." "They don't contribute to revenue." "IT is a commodity." But the reality is that IT is (or should be) deeply involved in most businesses decisions. Here are a few proof points to support my case:

The cliché is that money makes the world go around. That is still true, but we're at the point where we need to add IT to that statement as well. Your money can't go anywhere without computing and network power.

[The amount of jargon and tech clutter has reached critical mass. Read 3 Simple Ways IT Must Navigate Tech Jargon.]

Does this mean IT gets to sit in an ivory tower and dictate how technology should be used? No. In Gartner's "Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2014"  webcast (available to Gartner subscribers), the firm mentioned the concept of hybrid IT, where technology groups within a company serve as advisors, brokers, and providers of technology. In this model, IT continues to play a crucial role in all aspects:

In all three roles, the one thing that IT is responsible for is the customer experience. Yes, the entire company should focus on that, but from a technology perspective it is IT's job. That's sort of obvious for business services supported via IT-controlled datacenters where IT management tools can help keep tabs on performance and customer experience.

But even when a technology function is outsourced, IT must still ensure service levels are met and the customer experience is up to, or better than, par.

When an email marketing function is outsourced, an employee is not going to the CMO when there's a problem; they're calling the IT department. Or, if a cloud bill is suddenly pricey, the CFO isn't going to call ABC Cloud Services; they're going to call the CIO. Similarly, if your third-party hosted e-commerce site is down, the customer isn't blaming XYZ Hosting; they're blaming you.

No matter what role IT plays, it must keep the customer at the center of all decisions and have the tools in place for an exceptional experience.

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