IT: the real value

The cynic, reckoned Oscar Wilde, knows the cost of everything and the value of nothing.

And there's nothing like economic misfortune to bring out the doom mongers.

In fairness, a degree of cynicism about IT is not unwarranted - accusations of hype, overselling and acceptance of shoddy, half-finished goods have not always been without foundation.

No one can deny that some IT departments have enjoyed the comfort of code and gadgets, rather than communicating their benefits to the business.

But we're now at a crossroads in our evolution, and we need a serious debate about the future for technology and the role of the IT decision-maker.

The answers won't come from the ever-diminishing ranks of enthusiasts, whose dreams of The Recovery or The Bounce Back have long since faded.

There will be - if there is not already - a reaction against those who tell us that the industry (whatever that means) has reached maturity and we just have to live with it.

The debate about the future of IT needs to accept some fundamental facts.

First, the IT department will never again be allowed the autonomy it once had, though rarely requested. Alignment with wider business strategies is, quite rightly, the overriding aim.

Second, communication will be key. Don't get too wrapped up in that awful phrase 'soft skills'.

The communications gap between IT and the business, demonstrated in this supplement by the article on the attitudes of financial directors, is less great than you think.

What will bridge a largely overplayed divide is common sense and mutual need.

Business needs technology for competitive advantage; technology needs to be able to explain how that advantage can be won.

The bottom line is value. Someone inside the enterprise or organisation needs to be able to come up with demonstrable benefits on which credible strategies can be based.

We believe the obvious person will be the chief information officer, in charge of a team focused on a clear set of customer-focused goals.

Value means much more than 'return on investment' or 'total cost of ownership'.

There's no easy matrix here, and what is of value will be for each individual company to debate and decide.

But it will be a debate that the IT professional can lead. We hope this Special will help provide some of the tools and thinking required.