Sometimes it seems that success is the elephant in the room of the IT industry.
An IT director once told me that the IT industry should take collective responsibility for some of the “high-profile IT project failures”. He went on to say that these failures have forever tainted CEOs against IT.
I beg to differ. I don’t think my CEO really cares about someone else’s projects, as long as we deliver his. And, while I am happy to keep the sackcloth and ashes on hand for my own foul-ups, should I really be expected to wear them for someone else’s?
Mind you, if I should, then I should also be able to wear the finery of the IT industry’s successes. So here’s my list of the seven wonders of the IT world. (And, forgive me, although I am sure Eniac was wonderful, I have focused on the past 10 years.)
See extended entry!
E-government
Every government department, local authority, agency and quango has transformed the service it offers to the public by using the internet as a service channel. Simple tools, such as the UK Planning Portal, have progressively made it easier and quicker to deal with these organisations.
Microsoft products
There may be the odd grumble about Microsoft’s business practices, but its dominance is founded on excellence. My own organisation is utterly reliant on Microsoft products, all of which work well and deliver a lot of value. Our total Microsoft bill is less than 5% of our IT costs each year.
Web 2.0
Behind the media hype, media such as wikis and blogs, and sites such as Flickr, YouTube, MySpace and Facebook are transforming how we communicate and interact with each other.
Gadgets
From Blackberries to iPods to Wiis, everyone has their favourite gadget, and quite apart from how useful they are, they are just nice. As Gollum is to his precious, so I am to my Blackberry Pearl – shiny, addictive, and mine.
Economic contribution
The software industry represents in the region of 3% of the UK’s gross domestic product. According to industry body Intellect, the IT, telecoms and electronics industries together generate about 10% of UK GDP and 15% of UK trade.
IT press
In some sectors the press is boring and timid, ever afraid of losing advertising or upsetting someone. Not so the IT industry press. There is more than one excellent weekly magazine, and this competition drives them to straightforward reporting, and to descend on issues like a pack of wolves.
I am sure that’s not much fun if you are on the receiving end, but it is healthy for the industry as a whole.
IT people
Having worked in various industries, my view is that there is more diversity of people and approaches in IT than in any other sector.
We should not be complacent about what we and our industry contributes, but neither should we ignore the elephant.