IT Doesn’t Matter by Nicholas G. Carr Essay

Over the years the importance of IT has increased a lot. So much so that whole business processes revolve somewhat the IT system. According to Nicholas Carr, the huge increases in investment in IT systems may be because of the assumption by companies that IT provides them with a strategic advantage. However, this assumption is flawed. A engine room doesnt give strategic advantage because of its ubiquity but because of its scarcity. As IT becomes cheaper and available to everyone, its strategic advantage vanishes.Secondly, IT being an infrastructural technology, its meant to be overlap as it provides more value when shared than in isolation. Mangers believe that the innovations brought by infrastructural technology will last forever. However, this isnt the case. As huge touchstone of investment pours in, competition increases and the technology becomes cheaper and commoditized. The same thing has happened with IT (Carr, 2003). After establishing that IT isnt that important, Nichol as then proposes some recommendation for todays managers.Firstly, managers should start expending less on IT. They should rigorously analyze alternatives before investing in a particular IT system. Moreover, managers should look for open source or cheaper alternatives. Furthermore, managers should decoct on reducing waste. More than thirty percent of storage subject is used to serve the customer the rest is used to store Mp3s, idiot box and emails (Carr, 2003). Secondly, companies should follow instead of leading.With every new technology becoming out of date the next month, its better to wait and then make a move for the right kind of IT system (Carr, 2003). Finally, IT should flat be seen as important to the competition but insignificant to the companys strategy. Managers should now focus on sustaining the current IT system rather than upgrading it, as a small disruption can have a destructive piece on the companys profitability and reputation but an salary increase doesn t contribute much to profits (Carr, 2003).