IT trend...to tail or not to tail?

The ultimate thing for a company is to make sure that the company is run well, perhaps a going concerns business.

IT is just a tool to enable the business going through the big ocean, as the shark is never stop occupied swallow the plankton.

For me, IT is a must for a business to make them stand tall, being stronger in the big market and compete with the big brother. But that doesn't make that the business have to follow the IT trend. In death simplest word, business has to come first.

One good example is banking industries in Malaysia. Why they are very reluctant to move from the mainframe base to midrange? If we were to debate this, it will be like endless. But, looking at the nature of the banking industries in Malaysia, they have a good reason why they are so resistant to move to another so called technology trendy.

It's because the business is always come first. Their IT system is soo mature enough, why they want to jeopardize their business, just because they have to tail the technology? It doesn't make sense at all. The reputation, the stability is something that is too much for them to be put on the chopping block.

Hey why I must change to new latest server while my existing one, is doing fine? Can you answer that? Just because my existing system is not up to the date, I must follow the trend? Instead, IT must follow the business.

BUT (there is always but in every answers), if one of the system in the business is the one to be interface with the customer, then you have to consider of getting one latest technology. Why? Because it’s the company reputation. Say Maybank2u, the website is very charming, very outstanding, the GUI is nice to look, and you as a customer, are very confident of using it. You can't develop it using CSP or COBOL or even using low server capacity running 1CPU Intel 750MHz with 512 MB RAM on Windows NT. Eventhough the backend of the system is still using mainframe from the dinosaur age, but it promise reliability and consistency performance.

Again, there is no right or wrong of getting latest technology. The thing is, you must have a concrete justification on how the technology can fit and be aligned into the business.

OK...just my 2 cents.

Fuzzy feast for the eye

While looking for materials to post in this blog, somehow I found this interesting map/pictorial direction in my directory. Forgot where, when and how I got it. But I would like to share it. I think we can somehow relate it to the real scenario of managing IT locally and globally.

It makes sense that the dominant factors in managing IT is the people itself – CEOs, CIOs, COPs, team members and etc, etc… These are the main players that contribute to the successful of IT management. This map though only a fuzzy feast for the eye, it depicts our attitude in dealing with the new technology deployment.

Think of those ‘districts, corners, tunnels and playgrounds’ illustrate in the map - Hotel Know It All, Mutual Admiration Society, Bohemianism, Shortcuts, Carelessness, Misrepresentation, Lack of Preparation, Bad Business Methods and Bad Morals – do they ring any bells?

Well, it’s only the metaphor for us to trace ourselves (worth a night of deep thought). Have a nice trip!

Credits to the owner of this picture. Click on the picture if you wish to download it.