09.28.10
Change in the Blink of an Eye
[Cartoon]
Cloud computing maturity is moving at a pace similar to other consumer technologies. Consider how rapidly cell phones became predominant. Consider how long it took for the internet to explode. Consider how long it took for the iPod to become a must-have.
Now, consider major changes that have directly affected Information Technology, such as client-server, object-oriented, relational databases, XML databases, process management, service-oriented, and enterprise architecture. Somehow, these changes have all taken place very slowly, or not at all, in many large business organizations.
It appears that consumer-driven change seems to move more rapidly than those controlled by IT. Could IT simply be a barrier to change? Do they simply hold on to thirty-year-old technologies like CICS, COBOL, and large mainframe systems? Could it simply be that IT simply lacks an Enterprise Architecture plan that would allow them to keep their organization technologically relevant?
I believe that IT has, for years, only moved on those things that IT saw as most important to their senior management. In all cases, IT would develop solutions that would enhance IT’s control. Even with cloud computing, only IT could come up with the idea of private and hybrid cloud computing. They have not accepted a role of responsibility that includes keeping the organization viable with a strong technology base.
With the explosion of cloud computing usage for core business functionality, it does appear that IT is losing control. If IT is seen as a barrier, the business can just go around them.
More than ever, this is a time when senior management needs to rely on the unbiased presentation of an Enterprise Architect. It is a time when all the facts should be placed on the table for the decision-makers. If IT is a “ball and chain” slowing down the organization and cloud computing services offer alternatives, the senior management needs good counsel. They need a professional Enterprise Architect to bring clarity to the situation.
Due to cloud computing business services, we are moving closer to the time when each line-of-business within an organization can just plug in to get the computing resources they need. This consumer view of computing is driving this shift to cloud computing. The barriers presented by IT will be bypassed and IT needs to realize that it is the services they provide that are competing with cloud services.
The Enterprise Architects can see what is coming and are already preparing. They know that this will be their time. Corporations will be able to completely focus on their business, and automation will be viewed as an agile enabler. Automation will finally become the self-service contributor that the Corporate Office has always wanted it to be. –Enterprise Architects Masters of the Unseen City
Closing the Business / IT gap.
