Opinion: You can't fix stupid

Computerworld - Q: Steve, how can an IT executive expect to bring "strategic value" to the business if the business itself does not value IT, and also shows no real business acumen? -- P.B., Redondo Beach, Calif.

A: You can't.

"Stupid is as stupid does" is about the most accurate statement you'll ever hear. You can fix most any problem, except stupid.

The bottom line is we are in a vicious circle. Historically, IT hasn't been able to prove its true value to the business, and as such it is treated as a cost center, which are the first things to lose funding when a business downturn or hiccup happens -- which always happen in poorly run companies. There isn't much you can do about that, except to find a better company that values the strategic possibilities of IT and does so while actually running the business better than a six monkeys driving a mini-van juiced up on tequila and Jolt. Easier said than done, unfortunately.

The good news is that for every well run business, there appear to be 100 more that are either about to succumb to Darwinism or have somehow bypassed the evolutionary process temporarily. Eventually, the dodo became extinct. The better news is that as the natural laws of business are slowly doing their thing: The businesses that withstand the test of time tend to be the ones that have the brains and adaptability to move on to the next plane.

The really good news is that the next plane will be dominated by data. "Gut" instinct will be valued, creativity will be sought, but data will drive decisions. When that happens, IT becomes what it always should have been -- the keeper of the crown jewels. I just hope we're all around when it finally happens.

I'm seeing signs of intelligent life. If you are not up to speed on what the Web 2.0 phenomenon really means for you, IT, and business in general, you should start paying attention. I think I'm even going to write a book on it (I've threatened that many times before, so don't hold your breath). Web 2.0 is all about pushing new business agendas while completely dismantling traditional methodologies for performing corporate functions and turning the economic models of all that we know about technology and infrastructure on its head. There is too much to cover on this topic, but suffice it to say that when the dust settled on Web 1.0, the guys left standing had turned the world of IT infrastructure as we had known it into a shambles. What was never possible before was suddenly possible -- and what cost a million bucks a year ago might cost less than a tuna fish sandwich next year. All the assumptions that you hold about IT and the business of IT should be put on notice: Change is in the air.