Both business and IT executives have wondered about the "value of IT" ever since computers and IT utilization in business began. In fact, I can recall many poignant articles in the 1960s lamenting the level of expenditure and the dissatisfaction in achieving hoped-for benefits. This hasn't abated; for example, one can point to writers such as Nicholas Carr and his "IT Doesn't Matter" mantra just a few years ago. Today, CFOs continue to demand evidence of IT's value in spite of the complete dependence on IT in most businesses and industries.