I find this article quite an interesting read. It is funny how organizations are struggling to embrace IT when it is IT that helps them function (no email, database, security, etc you will have to go back to manually processing orders, payroll, etc.).

For those of us who have seen the wars (pre-oracle, SAP, ERP, EMC, DSS, etc) we kind of laugh knowing that all that is happening is folks are coming out with the same old initiatives and calling it the next wave of innovation.

Yes, I agree that there is a lot of waste in IT, especially when companies put in these multi-million dollar projects that support 1% of the business. I also laugh when we spend millions on replacing older technology that has not been more than 20% utilized. In fact, I frown when we spend 100 million dollars on projects that are supposed to turn off older equipment, however there is this one person in the business that has one monthly report that he may or may not look at.

I also, frown when I see companies spend tons of dollars on bringing in consultants to review their business processes only to find out that their process were bad from the time that they were created. We (the royal WE) promise to uphold the business mission statement that mentions reducing waste and streamlining the business to maximize profits, however we turn around and reduce IT when your process models should be tweaked.

If you want to help reduce your IT foot print, please look at your business waste as well. A little training can go a long way to cleanse your entire business model and raise your profit margins.

I do have one key question with BYOD, IaaS, PaaS, SaaS and any other new wave of so called IT reduction strategies. When you are in the mist of a major deal and your service provider goes down, fails to secure your data, loses you transaction or is not there when you really need them, what are your going to do? What if your business can't afford to lose this one customer, what will you do?

I am not taking the IT side, I am just trying to get folks to understand that you need to look at your entire business (department by department) and make the right adjustments, not just the easiest (get rid of IT).

Just food for thought.