We should no longer expect that technical expertise alone would be sufficient to maintain a strong leadership status against this emerging economic backdrop. Prime Minister Blair strikes an important chord by emphasizing the connection between the rapid deployment of technology and enterprise-level interests. Clearly, more is needed than technological proficiency alone. The marriage of high technology to enterprise infrastructure underscores the need for our technical workforce to have an intimate understanding of business and marketing issues and the ever-changing economic environment. The days where engineers, computer scientists, and information technology workers can toil in relative corporate isolation are rapidly coming to a close.
Technology is the business.
Whereas information technology has grown up as a lagging enterprise activity to equip corporate management with a regularly updated picture of internal operational status, it must now move to the head of the class as a leading corporate resource that points the way to new business and altered or expanded sources of revenue. Our information technology workforce must be increasingly business savvy and enterprise adept, not simply computer competent. Success in this arena calls for our information technology professionals to be well schooled in market theory and business fundamentals not just the principles of computer science. In summary, increasing information system complexity, the transformation of information technology from a lagging business component to a leading enterprise development activity, and competitive pressures in 21 st century open market economies are radically altering that which can be considered a reasonable and fundamental education for information technology workers in the coming decades. About the Author H. Otto von der Hoff II is Director of Commercial Services and Vendor Relations for Instrumental, Inc., a St. Paul, Minnesota based technology and management consulting firm.