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> People in IT should really stop to pretend that they are the only smart people that know how to run a business. But one problem I have seen as a consultant i

> People in IT should really stop to pretend that they are the only smart people that know how to run a business. But one problem I have seen as a consultant is companies don't realize they are software companies now. For instance, they are no longer a bank having a small IT department, IT is now their core business and should be treated as such.

sidlls 9y ago
No, IT is not their core business. Banking is. IT is a means to that end.
- PeterStuer 9y ago
  Not to be nit-picky, but the 'means' to provide the result are in the core-business of the enterprise inseparable from 'the business'. Being in the 'conceptual' banking business without the means to do banking isn't going to fly. Same as casting a farm as a 'food produce provider' and telling them that farming is not what their core business is about. Semantically correct, but not useful for most purposes.
  - ckastner 9y ago
    Grandparent said IT is a means. There are other means to provide the core business of banking. There are banks who outsource / spin-off not only their IT, but even transaction processing and settlement. > Same as casting a farm as a 'food produce provider' and telling them that farming is not what their core business is about The correct analogy would be the other way round: a 'food produce provider' whose core business it is to distribute food produce. Here, too, the farm is a means to the end, but it's not the only means.
myaso 9y ago
Depends on the company, maybe some methods seem primitive by our standards but they can be extremely effective nonetheless. I strongly suspect a lot of it unnecessary, I've seen a VC funded startup tackle the same problem that someone solved with a mailing list. Software expertise seems to be the most expensive generic skill set that you can hire for anywhere today -- even if you hire the people they still might be crippled by having to work with legacy infrastructure; I've seen a live SCO Unix server not too long ago.

sidlls 9y ago

No, IT is not their core business. Banking is. IT is a means to that end.

PeterStuer 9y ago
Not to be nit-picky, but the 'means' to provide the result are in the core-business of the enterprise inseparable from 'the business'. Being in the 'conceptual' banking business without the means to do banking isn't going to fly. Same as casting a farm as a 'food produce provider' and telling them that farming is not what their core business is about. Semantically correct, but not useful for most purposes.
- ckastner 9y ago
  Grandparent said IT is a means. There are other means to provide the core business of banking. There are banks who outsource / spin-off not only their IT, but even transaction processing and settlement. > Same as casting a farm as a 'food produce provider' and telling them that farming is not what their core business is about The correct analogy would be the other way round: a 'food produce provider' whose core business it is to distribute food produce. Here, too, the farm is a means to the end, but it's not the only means.

myaso 9y ago

Depends on the company, maybe some methods seem primitive by our standards but they can be extremely effective nonetheless. I strongly suspect a lot of it unnecessary, I've seen a VC funded startup tackle the same problem that someone solved with a mailing list. Software expertise seems to be the most expensive generic skill set that you can hire for anywhere today -- even if you hire the people they still might be crippled by having to work with legacy infrastructure; I've seen a live SCO Unix server not too long ago.