BOOK REVIEW - IT Doesn't Matter

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Jason Haley — Tue, 16 May 2006 17:41:21 GMT

re: BOOK REVIEW - IT Doesn't Matter

Brian — Mon, 22 May 2006 02:53:24 GMT

Joe,

I really struggle with some of the rebuttals to this article including yours. If I was a business owner I would be wary of the most of the talk from supposed industry leaders, analysts and pundits on the value of IT to business. It's long been said that ‘the majority of IT projects fail’, and this has been the case for the last twenty years. I know a lot of projects are incredibly successful, but for a business person this still seems like a risky proposition. I don’t feel that this is a business versus IT versus academia issue since it’s evident every day I go to work.

I think it is naïve to believe that IT provides significant value to business. More modern IT process and tools must be differentiated from the technical innovation that occurs to solve real problems. There are many common factors which apply to innovative organizations. Most are not present in IT organizations. It’s not simply a matter of saying that ASP.NET is an innovation technology and expecting business to lap it up. Real innovation occurs before you get to the point of selecting an IT technology.

Consider the newspaper industry, a classic case of computer induced redundancy in the UK. The innovation was being able to virtually manage layout, handle copy and transfer to printers. None of the disparate technology development really was useful until the business process required the technology. Polishing of technology (eg. Classic ASP to ASP.NET) is not innovation. I think this is something Microsoft should keep in mind. You market to IT professionals who lap up minor changes that make their lives easier. Not a bad thing in itself. However, hype laden rhetoric doesn’t play well with the real business people.

They struggle to understand why their IT department struggle to deliver simple websites since their first one in 1997. This is in spite of the delivery of many incremental improvements to the vendor technology. If you were in the business owner’s shoes you would be wondering what the hell are they doing?

re: BOOK REVIEW - IT Doesn't Matter

JoeStagner — Mon, 22 May 2006 14:43:28 GMT

Brain,

Thanks for the post.

The point I was trying to make is that innovations in technology are, though nt exclusivly, what enable innovation in business.

As a business own formust of my adult life I consistantly used technology to outperform my competition. (I'm refering to a non-Technology Related business.)

It is completly incorrec to describe ASP.NET is a "polishing" of ASP.

In fact, the ASP.NET model is such an innovation that the PHP and Java worlds are (rightly) evolving there platforms to emulate the ASP.NET paradign which was completly new to web development atthe time it was released.

But I agree that the use of technology does not, in and of itself, create business innovation and also that innovative company cultures can evolve independent of high tech focus.

I also think that trying to do one without the other is akin to cutting off you nose to spite you face.

Regards,
Joe

re: BOOK REVIEW - IT Doesn't Matter

JoeStagner — Mon, 22 May 2006 18:53:26 GMT

Brian,

Thanks for the post.
The point I was trying to make is that innovations in technology are, though not exclusively, what enable innovation in business.

As a business own for must of my adult life I consistently used technology to outperform my competition. (I'm referring to a non-Technology Related business.)

It is completely incorrect to describe ASP. NET is a "polishing" of ASP.

In fact, the ASP.NET model is such an innovation that the PHP and Java worlds are (rightly) evolving there platforms to emulate the ASP.NET parading which was completely new to web development at the time it was released.

But I agree that the use of technology does not, in and of itself, create business innovation and also that innovative company cultures can evolve independent of high tech focus.

I also think that trying to do one without the other is akin to cutting off you nose to spite you face.

Regards,
Joe

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