Is IT becoming extinct? (no)
Not really security related, but in response to this artice….
This is a typical example of someone generalizing for the sake of a shock value title to their article. He does have some valid points, but nothing he says is new or even a surprise. Business has been outsourcing commoditized labor since the beginning of time, my organization is going through an adjustment of all aspects of back office business not just IT. The author makes a valid point when he talks about ADP not just selling payroll software but doing it for you.
It’s the nature of the business beast that if someone else can do it cheaper, why not go with them? I used to work with a Managed Security Services shop whose customers outsourced their security practice to an external provider. This was a great idea for shops who weren’t in the business of securing networks but still needed a level of security that your average admin couldn’t provide. Where it got hairy was when the security team at a company was completely outsourced to our shop leaving 1 or 2 stragglers behind to manage the whole enterprise (with us of course). Of course we could do it cheaper, but their management often underestimated and grossly miscalculated the value of in house talent, especially when the shit hit the fan.
The main problem with getting rid of IT Services in favor of an external source (or getting rid of them in favor of “smarter users’) is that you lose that personal touch with the history and architecture of your IT systems. Senior management *is* disconnected with IT, that’s *not* a reason to outsource your IT force, it’s a reason for more IT people to become businesspeople, so the value of IT services is truly recognized throughout organizations. People like to focus on IT staff and services as a reactionary force: i.e. somethings down and we need to fix it, but what about the 99.999% (depending on your network ;P) of the time that these systems are up and running fine, the IT staff is continually working to improve services and keep things running smoothly so everyone else can do their jobs. The demand for highly skilled IT folks isn’t going anywhere, because whether you outsource your IT services or keep them in shop, the requirement to implement, manage, and maintain those systems will always be there.
The title of this article *should* have been “is IT being commoditized?”, much less sexy but more on point. The answer is “yes”. Will there come a day when people can use a computer just like they use a telephone or wall socket? Maybe, but I think it may be 50 years too soon to call IT on the road to extinction, I wouldn’t even put it on the endangered list. =)
Add comment March 24th, 2008