There’s this notion flying around in the real world that if you’re able to use a certain technology – say Twitter – you also know how to use it. What I mean by how to use it is using it in a way to accomplish some sort of goal – like increasing sales for your business. Being able to use any technology is certainly the first step in starting to understand it, but humans use technology for a purpose – and understanding those purposes (and all the ways to use a technology) requires a deeper level of understanding.
So what you say. Well this is important, because any good technology professional will tell you that you’re wasting a lot of time if you decide to start using a technology without some greater goal in mind. This is why many companies view their IT departments with distrust – they tell them to buy the latest and greatest technology (without understanding the biz reasons behind it), shrug off any disagreements and then are disappointed when it fails.
OK. What’s the proper way then? First you need to understand the business reasons why you’re looking for a particular piece of technology. Really this should start without considering technology at all. What’s your business goal? What are you trying to accomplish? Once you have your business needs, you can start to look at how technology can help. On the tech side, you’ll need to understand how any tech can help you fulfill your business needs, and then you’ll start looking at specific types of tech and whether they fit the bill.
Everything should start on the business side first. By understanding your business needs, you’ll be better able to seek out technology that helps fulfill those needs. Then you won’t view tech so much as a cost, but as a tool to help your business.
What do you think?
(photo by deanj @ Flickr CC)
Liked this post? Consider subscribing to Sazbean.com through RSS feed or by email or following us on Twitter.
Technorati tags: IT strategy, strategy, technology, IT, business