Re: Is IT growth slowing?
There has been a recent spate of articles in business magazines about
the failure of IT to live up to its promise of reducing workload while
improving worker productivity. This may be nothing more than sour
grapes, but it's worth paying attention to. Many companies have
experienced the constant need for more and better hardware and software,
and the way that each new upgrade to a system results in more things
that need attending to - kinda like a baby and the way it grows. There
are rumblings that part of the current economic problems in the computer
industry in general have to do with large numbers of client companies
deciding to make do with yesterday's technology - with the rationale
that 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it.'
Following the lead of Microsoft, most software and hardware
manufacturers have adopted the policy of continual upgrades to existing
products as a means of assuring revenue growth. Are we reaching - or
have we reached - the point where this policy is no longer warranted,
resulting in less demand for IT professionals across the board? It
could be argued that this downturn is mostly a marketing blip, but one
which is going to cause companies in the industry to have to rethink how
they provide value to their customers. It could also be argued that
this is a major turning point for the whole industry.
The question becomes, what has IT brought to the table? To many end-users, IT has mearly meant another level of uncaring, unhearing, and largely ignorant people who have a great say over how everyone does things. I find no value added when I have to produce printed materials, and am faced with software and compatiblity problems, and the IT department cannot, and will not assist me. If they are touting themselves as all-knowing they had better provide some assistance.
Sour grapes is not the problem. It is IT directors/managers/personnel/ who have hyped what they can do and then fail to deliver in spectacular ways.
Don't tell me what I need to use to get my job done, help me get the tools that fit my requirements, and then support them. If you are supporting postscript printing, learn about postscript printers. If your customers need a solution, provide it.
IT often forgets that they are there to provide support. They are a service. They have customers. They had better learn, or become unemployed.
There, I feel so much better now. Any questions? Further input may be solicited.
Scott
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