What will business need IT for?
A very relevant question! If IT's only role is to provide PCs (Laptops, Notebooks, ...) then they REALLY need to ask what do we need them for.
Many, many years ago big offices had a department providing all the office stuff like papers, pencils, folders, binders, labels, typewriter ribbons - you name it. When there was less than 1 inch left of your pencil you could go there to apply for a new one.
You don't do that anymore. Those departments are long gone.
Well, with the laptops and notebooks that already include all the necessary features and options and there's a wide range of applications online, PCs are finally becoming so standardized, that we don't need an IT department shuffling the boxes. That is logistics and can be handled more cost efficiently if it's outsourced.
The legitimacy for an IT department is when it can provide some REAL value to the business - and what that is depends of course on the business.
IT is becoming a part of the business, and I think the notebooks and online apps are a fragment of that evolution.
FWIW: There is a short article on ICT Standard Forums website (www.ictstandard.org) "Recognize the Four Categories of ICT Management" which actually talk about this.
There's also a self assessment tool that one can use if you want to analyze the current maturity of your IT.
