Many IT departments I’ve spoken with lately are challenged by having too much on their plate. They need to support current applications, make modifications, keep the servers running, etc.. All the while, they are being asked to develop new apps that can advance corporate goals. For an IT deptartment that has been barely keeping on top of everything (and likely can’t hire anyone right now), this can be a real problem. How to make room for more than just keeping the lights on?
The first step to solving it, is to get a clearer look at it.
On the one side, there are different people making requests: management, department heads, existing users. This is IT’s client.
On the other side, there is the IT department: the implementors.
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The Midwest Technology Leaders conference hit a home run this year with the quality of the people it drew. I’m talking about the CIO’s, Directors of IT and most excitingly the IT entrepreneurs, those small business people who have slugged out an IT business in Michigan and have continued to grow.
Frankly, this was a group of people I didn’t know existed in the area (and I’ve been here for 11 years). I saw a slue of these companies come into existence during the .com boom but after the implosion, the landscape seemed dead. Seeing these people all in one room, talking to them -all still hungry, seasoned and focused on growth, created a buzz that I haven’t felt in Michigan in a long time.
I’ve attend conferences and business meetings across the America’s, felt the buzz and creativity in other cities. Attending this event opened the door for a perception change about this region.
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