Keith Pleas Blog

What cracks me up is the way the IT industry seems to be glomming onto tired catch-phrases from the government and other sources.

I smirk every time I hear people talking about "Defense in Depth" with respect to IT security these days, acting as if they are clever for having come up with such a descriptive term. Sorry, not so. I lived Defense in Depth as our Naval tactical strategy when I was flying F-14's in the Navy from the late 80's through late 90's. For us, defense in depth meant putting the fighters out hundreds of miles from the carrier, with frigates and cruisers in between, followed by close in weapons systems as the last line of defense. Don't get me wrong, it is a great approach to securing a precious resource, and I'm glad to see the IT industry adopting it. It just is funny to see people acting like they invented the concept.

Now for the "do more with less" thing. That is a horrid concept that was prevalent in the military and government throughout the downsizing years of the Clinton era. The result? Undertrained, underequiped troops and forces expected to face more and more demanding threats. That is one I won't subscribe to adopting as a good idea. It sounds great on the surface, but the basic laws of physics usually kick in to make "do more with less" a fantasy that turns into a nightmare with a bad ending.

My 2c on catch phrases.

Hi Keith!

I think Nicholas Carr missed the point last year in his essay, and did it so well that he's convinced a publisher to publish an entire book in which he misses the point yet again. There has been a maturing in traditional IT functions--and a maturing in hiring staff for those traditional IT functions--but that does NOT, by a long shot, mean that technology, or software development, is slowing down.

Friends, it is only the beginning.

Traditional IT functions generally relate to accounting: order entry, inventory, accounts payable, general ledger. There are a zillion industries out there--but they all need customer service systems. Some companies will view customer service systems as an expense to be minimized--others will view customer service systems as a way to distinguish themselves from the competition. There are more forms of traditional IT--but they generally fit the pattern of customer service, inventory, general ledger--the *business* side of the business.

To the extent that Nicholas Carr is talking about *that*--and only that--as "IT," he has a certain point. Everybody in business today has to have integrated accounting processes--it's a given. Everybody in business today has to have a web site--it's a given. Everybody in business today has to interact with their supply-chain partners via e-commerce--it's a given (well, this last might be a "talked about as though it's a given," but let's not get too picky).

But that by no means indicates that the need for IT is over. To the contrary, the benefits of technology (and, more to the point of software developers) and software are only just being revealed. Because there is lots and lots to business that is NOT a function of the traditional, accounting-oriented view of computing.

Consider, for example, a building. Keith lives in the state of Washington, which has recently enacted building codes that, among other things, require commercial buildings with more than 5000 sq. ft. of space to meet stringent requirements for energy consumption. Microsoft Corporation has recently acquired a building adjacent to its corporate campus--and is refurbishing the building for use as Building #122.

From a traditional IT standpoint, who cares? Microsoft has accounting software, they can credit the cash to buy the building and rehab it, they can credit physical assets for the value of the new real estate--they need a total of 0 new programmers. So what?

Wait till the building opens. The building will include a new technology called "daylighting"--where some clever technology integrates light sensors, motorized shades, and dimming fluorescent ballasts to guarantee a constant light level in a given space--but automatically adjusting window shades and light levels to minimize total power consumption. It's pretty cool stuff (when we showed this at a trade show in Europe last month, people were going bananas)--and it is the future of office building construction in the U.S. and much of Europe.

I don't know how much more automation is going into Building #122--I'm just the database architect for the lighting control system. But the architecture/engineering/construction world is embracing technology--software--at a breathtaking rate. The guy who was writing accounts receivable reports two years ago may well be writing energy management reports next year.

It isn't just buildings or engineering. Industries as mature as trucking lines are embracing technology as well: in the aftermath of the first Gulf War, in 1991, an entire industry of logistics developed overnight. Some companies (notably Wal-Mart) had already made significant forays into formal logistics--nowadays anybody who wants to do business with Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Costco, Price Club, or practically any grocery store has to be coming up the learning curve on supply chain management and logistics--or face bankruptcy. (Two words: K-Mart.)

And there is all sorts of technology--driven by programmers like you and me--that is waiting for MIPS, bandwidth, and protocols. As more and more devices are connected, there is more and more opportunity to create new products and services by integrating them. Those opportunities won't happen without people like you and me.

In short, Carr has no clue. He just doesn't realize it. And neither do most other MBAs. But then, the business school community scoffed at Federal Express, the personal computer, and lots of other good ideas.