Nicholas Carr It Doesn T Matter Summary

Assignment #1: "IT Doesn't Matter" by Nicholas Carr

Nicholas Carr wrote an article entitled IT Doesn't Matter at first; it reads controversial and needs full of interpretations for the readers. As we read the entire story, the author might have a different interpretation of IT and probably points out that we really don't need IT too much, the companies should not spend too much on IT and not more for strategic advantage.
Carr said that having IT may delivered the business at risk; instead of investing the money more on major expenses , IT just add more to the business especially when there is a technical and security problems. He also writes that IT cannot be said as one of the major need in business process, it is just an additional to
company's infrastructural technology. He claims that IT has become a commodity as IT age goes up, and he also claims that development of IT industry and railroad industry are just the same. I disagree on Carr's argument that IT is a competitive advantage d that doesn't guaranteed a strategic advantage because of lower price as the time goes by. But for me, as long as there is opportunity and strategy to have an edge or just to be in level to others, we should not left behind and go with the flow. For example, if I am an owner of a business and IT is popular to my customers, they should not be the one to adjust, I should adjust my business on what they want and go with the flow.
As what on my mind always thinking, 'if we become contented on what we have, why we still need to do our works and better to stay on what we have?', this thought I have in my mind is contradicting to Carr's idea that IT needs are already fulfilled. As a human being the highest life-forms, we continues seek for change and development for our advantage.
As of this age (even before), technology is a commodity, from a simple calculator that computes the sales of a business, into a printing papers for reports, computers for making projects and other IT-related transactions that makes the business more flexible and efficient.
As one of the chief executive of Intel Corporation before, Craig Barrett said, "As a nation and as a company, you either upgrade your IT infrastructure or you won't be competitive.", it only points out that IT has a big impact in a company that makes you competitive if you adapt it or will be left behind either. Although you have the same process and business to others, the edge will be 'how you did it', the advantages and the efficiency is really matters, this is what technology offers. The business can gain an edge against others by doing something they can’t; IT infrastructures are what really need.
Carr proposes three new rules for IT management ‘for the future’ as I quoted; first is to ‘Spend Less’; he stated that as the commoditization of IT continues, the penalties for wasteful spending will only grow larger. Although it is hard to achieve a competitive advantage, but for me in a business there is something that you need to take the risk, that’s what the business really is; then Carr focuses only on the cost disadvantage of engaging to
IT.
Second is to ‘Follow, don’t lead ‘, and states that the longer you wait to make an IT purchase will decrease your risk of buying something technologically flawed or doomed to rapid obsolescence. But for me, to be on top of the business, a company should be the leader, should be on the lead, and should be in front to take the risk especially if it was big enough to try something new. Looking for someone if they failed or not in a strategy, for sure you will be left behind. There is someone to be a leader to be followed.
And lastly ‘Focus on vulnerabilities, not opportunities’, and states as I quote: “They need to prepare themselves for technical glitches, outages, and security breaches, shifting their attention from opportunities to vulnerabilities.” This is contradicting on my idea when it comes to business, in business we should focus more on the positive side instead of the negative side. Having a law-of-attraction in mind I think is not present on the author that makes his article controversial and deserves criticism. (Let’s not focus more on the existentialism part of the author). Glitches and problems of a system even in manual or automated are cannot be prevented but there is a way to develop more to avoid those problems.
Nicholas Carr closed his article by leaving a message:
“IT management should, frankly, become boring. The key to success, for the vast majority of companies, is no longer to seek advantage aggressively but to manage costs and risks meticulously. If, like many executives, you’ve begun to take a more defensive posture toward IT in the last two years, spending more frugally and thinking more pragmatically, you’re already on the right course. The challenge will be to maintain that discipline when the business cycle strengthens and the chorus of hype about IT’s strategic value rises anew.” Carr has a point on his closing message, because most company are not in position or expertise to perform IT strategies and innovation because of lack in expertise on that matter. Some of company focuses on spending much on IT aggressively even it is not needed too much technology.
But, as a student of Information Technology, IT is still needed and can be said as a commodity for a company especially those who are in this kind of field. IT can help in a business to gain a strategic advantage, but sometimes it can result to a cost sacrifices. Carr got me on the closing message, but before that the author I think misunderstands the true meaning of information technology.