Business Transformation Requires Transformational Leaders

If frequent mention of business-IT alignment were a capital offense, I would have been executed long ago instead of writing this Executive Update, which intends to amend my various comments in earlier Cutter publications about business-IT alignment. It's no crime to champion the cause of an important business issue, but I must plead guilty to a misdemeanor in overlooking an important subtlety, a fine distinction in the topic whose importance is heightened in our current economic mess.

As organizations relentlessly seek cost-cutting opportunities in our darkening economic environment, energy consumption is likely a bright target. The IT organization should prepare for that day when an operations executive asks the CIO: how will your department contribute to the company's collective belt tightening with energy cost savings? Being prepared isn't just for Boy Scouts.

Like electrical service, computing has become a utility. You can draw on your required computing resources -- hardware, software, storage, applications, and infrastructure -- when and where you need them and in the amount you need.

Cloud computing is and will be a major trend. By this, I specifically mean that there is a trend toward the progressive replacement by your organization of its owned facilities, hardware, and operations by virtual facilities housed somewhere in the great Wherever and rented on a pay-as-you-go basis.

As you may have noticed, the current economic environment is causing people to behave differently. This stressful climate has likely changed the tenor of your negotiations by either making it easier for you to get what you want or making it near impossible to achieve your goals.