IT Departments in the spotlight

The world's view is slowing turning its gaze onto IT Departments and I applaud that people are starting to think about why they exist (no presumption implied that they shouldn't). Maybe from this discussion we'll get a far reasoned view of what IT actually does for a business and then a more appropriate level of business support.

A little list (some old, some new):

• The end of the IT department? I don’t think so
• Comment of the Day: Google Apps Still Needs the IT Dept
• Google Sites the Next Sharepoint? Maybe Not....Why Google Apps Could Lose the Enterprise Market
• The virtual workplace
• Enterprise 2.0 May be Fine for the Business, But What About the IT Department?
• Who leads the Social Media Programs in the Enterprise: IT or Business?
• The IT Perspective on Bloated Unfriendly Enterprise Software: More Reason to Buy SaaS

And that'll do ... there's many more but let's savour those for a mo' - go on, go and read them and then come back ...

The blog that's really questioning IT Departments is the appropriately titled IT Organization Circa 2017 by Vaughan Merlyn. If you really want to get into the guts of the pressures on the status quo for your IT Department subscribe to Vaughan's blog and read.

And for a wee posting that captures, with a cracking mental picture, what the major pressures are on IT Departments (via the business themselves - they have bigger paradigms shifts to contend with) check out She cries “Where have all Papa’s heroes gone?” from Sam.

Finally I think this is another excellent way to try and understand the changes in what staff expect (not merely want, but expect!) from computer systems - 5 questions a teenage kid might ask if starting work at your business today.
How many have you asked yourself today?

1. Why can’t I access my favorite websites at work like facebook and myspace?
   
2. What is that big thing on the ceiling in the conference room?
   
3. Why do I need this big phone on my desk? I have a mobile phone with unlimited minutes.
   
4. Why can’t I instant message my friends that are not with the company?
   
5. Why don’t I have a laptop like home? This desktop you provided takes up so much room in my small cubicle.

The world is changing my friends and the young uns have higher expectations of these computer things SHOULD be doing ... and it's not just adding up numbers or storing words.