Neuralytix was incorporated on a charter of delivering contemporary and relevant research. 2014 sees the realization of that effort. The time has come for Neuralytix to reveal its IT21 initiative.
IT21 stands for IT in the 21st century. (Yes, we’re technically 14 years into the century, but there is still a long way to go.)
What has changed this century, is that computers are no longer just machines that automate utilitarian jobs. We have close personal ties to our technology that impact our lives in much the same way as automobiles do.
True, automobiles are essentially a vehicle to go from point A to point B. But the type of automobile can define the type of person we are, or the type of person we want to be.
So too, do the smartphones, tablets, laptops, wearables, etc. that each individual chooses to use and facilitate digital interactions. I, for example, am generally an “anything but Apple” person. It’s not me. It doesn’t define whether Apple products are good or bad (frankly, I find them amazingly simple to use, well designed and highly innovative).
So, what is IT21? As mentioned earlier, IT21 stands for IT in the 21st century.
Neuralytix believes that the time is ripe for us to move beyond thinking about technology as a sum of parts, to thinking about technology holistically. Leveraging the automobile analogy again, most of us do not buy a car by buying an engine, buying some tires, buying seats, steering wheels, and then taking it to an automobile integrator to get it assembled!
Figure 1 below outlines our view:
Figure 1: How we need to think about IT in the 21st century (Neuralytix, 2014)
We have to stop thinking of technology as discreet components, but think holistically. To this end, we propose that IT users think about IT in three distinct segments – infrastructure, platforms and applications. Then we think about how these segments apply to the people and businesses who use and leverage the technology.
Throughout February, we will continue to expand on these ideas, and in March, we will be releasing our full report. We will use separate research notes and blog posts to explain our view of Infrastructure, Platforms and Applications.
Ultimately, why we’re doing this is because it is relevant. We have said many times before, IT stands for INFORMATION technology, not infrastructure technology. Therefore, the relevancy of this model deals directly with how users generate value and competitive advantage through the use of data and information.
The time has come for IT to stop being a cost center. The time has come for CIO’s to retake their role at the executives’ table and demonstrate how, and why, information can help enterprises compete, grow, and profit. The time has come for CEO’s and CFO’s to recognize that insight into data and information is what drives innovation.