But despite the chaos, IT back in, say, the 1980s, had the luxury of being a pure service department: Information technology was so golly-gee-whiz that it was enough to hand out brightly colored toys and fix them when they broke, all from the protective confines of the data center. Decision support? Business logistics? Not our job, man.
The IT department's job isn't just about handing out expensive baubles anymore. With today's ever-more-sophisticated user community and a glaring, ax-wielding CFO, IT departments must prove they're not merely the maintenance workers of the data center, and that in fact an in-house IT department (as opposed to an outsourced one) can enable business strategies. That is, as the youngest department in corporate America with the most to prove, IT must now show we're not all about sex and sizzle. The time has come for IT to grow up and become a strategic business enabler.
This means that to help in this mission, you must not only be technically strong, but you must also start to learn and continue to learn business strategies that help your department contribute to the business success of your organization.
The good news is that IT is maturing, and while IT hasn't lost its status as a moving target, many factors, including the dot-com bust and a down economy, have forced IT to mature more quickly than it otherwise might have. More good news: Many of the disciplines we discovered when we were learning how to build efficient, reliable and supportable networks translate directly into good business sense.
For example, perhaps one of the first technology principles you learned was the concept of encapsulation -- the ability to handle a highly complex system by breaking it down into major subsystems.
Is this a technology concept? A business concept? In fact, it's both: Not only is encapsulation essential to infotech engineering, it's also an important business concept.
In the spirit of encapsulation, we've broken the outrageously large topic of "The Business of IT" into several key elements, each easily digested during your morning commute or a boring conference call. Here's what to expect:
>> Start With Staffing. We all know that an IT organization is only as good as the people in it; here are some strategies for keeping your organization going.
>> Politics as Usual. How your IT department is structured, how well you get along with each other, and how well you get along with other departments all have a major impact on your effectiveness. Good politics mean good communication: Although we hope that's the only kind of politics in your organization, we'll give you some tips on handling the others.
>> Managing Change. Organizations have bounced from extremes over the years -- From "hey, nobody's probably maybe using this server; let's reboot it," to "server may not be rebooted, ever, for any reason, ever. Ever." Somewhere in the middle lie reasonable practices, and we'll share some.
>> School of Project-Management Wizardry. "Never say no again?" Read on for tips on how to realistically deal with project dependencies, resources and goals, as well as how to handle the inevitable project complications and scope creep.
>> IT Management Interview. Harley-Davidson's Reid F. Engstrom took some time off from roaring down the info-highway on a 2001 Road King to speak with Editor in Chief Doug Barney on the changing role of IT in business. Engstrom, who's responsible for the IT infrastructure of a company with $3.4 billion in yearly sales, chatted with us about promoting the business value of technology and IT relationships and even explained how his IT department participates in setting corporate business goals and objectives.
>> Too Many Cooks in the IT Kitchen? It's hard to have savvy users second-guessing you all the time. But fear not -- managers can take a page from the IETF and keep the naysayers happy. Here's how one of our editors used an RFC-like process in his organization and kept technology decisions palatable to everyone.
>> Budget Management 101. Budgets are the villain of many an up-and-coming IT manager's career. Here's how you can tame them.
>> Guest Column: To Lead or Not To Lead ... That Is the Question. Making the transition from techie to suit isn't easy. Is a choice necessary? Scott Ogawa shares his experience and insights.
Keep an eye out for the next installment of our IT Agenda series in the April 15 issue.
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