It wasn’t that long ago that IT’s main function was to install and maintain enterprise tools built around on-site servers. That’s rapidly changing, though, with the “consumerization” of enterprise tools, the increasing prevalence of cloud-based enterprise collaboration solutions and the rising tech savviness of users, an article from Redmond Magazine explains. That doesn’t mean, though, that IT departments are on their way to obsolescence.
The role of internal IT will change from managing infrastructure to managing multiple services. As the article mentions, dealing with authentication, security and governance issues will be a big part of the value that IT brings to the rest of the business. For example, a marketing department might be perfectly capable of creating SharePoint deployments through a self-service portal using templates, the article explains. But it’s unlikely anyone in the marketing department will have any real understanding of the SAN backend, for instance, so that’s one area where IT is able to provide value.
Also, working closely with their business counterparts on user adoption and rollout strategy will be a big part of IT’s job going forward. Working with the business to put in place and manage the rollout of new cloud-based solutions is paramount as this often involves new functionality, a new user interface and, in some instances, possible reduction in capabilities.
Having more application or platform domain expertise will be part of what internal IT will have to bring to the table, because cloud-based solutions don’t provide as much flexibility with respect to customization. Therefore, internal IT needs to better understand how best to support the business by configuring out-of-the-box functionality rather than building custom solutions. IT will also have to make sure policies are created and followed to maintain whatever security is necessary, and also ensure the tools are being used in a way for optimal productivity.
Finally, unlike in the consumer world, in the enterprise you have to consider business processes and the fact that users will have information needs across a particular process. That’s why IT needs to have a clear understanding of how to enhance user experience and process automation in a cloud-based environment where they have less control than in the past. It’ll be increasingly critical for IT to enhance skills and knowledge around authentication, collaboration platform capabilities and process automation.
Source: Redmond Magazine, December 2013
