If the answer to the question above is no, your IT departments should not be the brick wall preventing the implementation of new technology. In a properly balanced environment the business units should decide on and approve a particular technology that is needed to perform a business related task. The IT Department should be involved to assist the business unit’s decision making process to ensure that the best solution to fill the need is acquired. After a final decision is made by the business unit the IT Department should then determine the best way to implement the desired technology solution.
What I see more often than not, is that IT Departments often times attempt to roadblock any technology implementation which they do not see a need for. Instead of helping the business unit fill a need, the IT department screams about the fact that the new technology will create security gaps in the network. This fear tactic often is enough to convince executives that the risks outweigh the benefits. The fact of the matter is that every application or device in use on a network creates a potential vulnerability. The job of the IT Department is to mitigate those risks and to provide the best implementation of the technology which will solve the business unit’s need. The most secure network is one in which no users have access and no data is manipulated, while this is a very secure network, it is useless to a business.
IT managers often forget that their role is to support the business units which generate the profits which fund the IT budgets. The IT department should not have approval authority over technology implementations, ultimately the business units are responsible for determining what resources they need to operate the business, and line of thinking often requires a shift in the mindset (and/or staff) in the IT department.
Situations where the tail is wagging the dog should be avoided.
(photo from http://sketchedout.wordpress.com/2008/11/24/wag-the-dog/)
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