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Why do we call it ICT?
It’s bizarre – when Data Processing was a function –then a department, everyone knew what they did. They processed data. Simple hey?
What on earth does the modern IT function do now though? And don’t get me going on ICT – Information Communications Technology – that’s just another techie jargon qualification to avoid doing any real business. Ditto in my mind for IS, IM and any other cool an oh-so-self-important name that they can justify.
Now if they still think their role in the organisation is to support the business in doing business, they should be called Data Processing.
These days Information Technology underpins almost all business activity – you know that without the technology your business will come to a grinding halt. But if your IT department thinks that this is their job – equivalent to keeping the lights on and the toilets working – then they have missed the boat. You want real value from all this technology and all these people. And value is a combination of benefits achieved for money spent.
And if IT are meant to operate in the benefits space of the business, they are no longer about Data Processing or in fact Information Technology (or ICT or IS or IM). I have no instant answer, but perhaps we should call them the Computer Technology Leverage department. There’s an acronym for you to try out on your IT specialists – because “leverage” means more than just run the operational infrastructure – it becomes a question of how are we leveraging computers in our business. I looked up leverage in the thesaurus and the words: “Advantage, ascendancy, authority, clout and power” all appeared. That covers it for me.
And if your IT department is not helping your company leverage its computers to achieve all of these in your marketplace, then go back to calling them the DP department.
What on earth does the modern IT function do now though? And don’t get me going on ICT – Information Communications Technology – that’s just another techie jargon qualification to avoid doing any real business. Ditto in my mind for IS, IM and any other cool an oh-so-self-important name that they can justify.
Now if they still think their role in the organisation is to support the business in doing business, they should be called Data Processing.
These days Information Technology underpins almost all business activity – you know that without the technology your business will come to a grinding halt. But if your IT department thinks that this is their job – equivalent to keeping the lights on and the toilets working – then they have missed the boat. You want real value from all this technology and all these people. And value is a combination of benefits achieved for money spent.
And if IT are meant to operate in the benefits space of the business, they are no longer about Data Processing or in fact Information Technology (or ICT or IS or IM). I have no instant answer, but perhaps we should call them the Computer Technology Leverage department. There’s an acronym for you to try out on your IT specialists – because “leverage” means more than just run the operational infrastructure – it becomes a question of how are we leveraging computers in our business. I looked up leverage in the thesaurus and the words: “Advantage, ascendancy, authority, clout and power” all appeared. That covers it for me.
And if your IT department is not helping your company leverage its computers to achieve all of these in your marketplace, then go back to calling them the DP department.
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