By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
SmartData Collective
  • Analytics
    AnalyticsShow More
    data analytics in sports industry
    Here’s How Data Analytics In Sports Is Changing The Game
    6 Min Read
    data analytics on nursing career
    Advances in Data Analytics Are Rapidly Transforming Nursing
    8 Min Read
    data analytics reveals the benefits of MBA
    Data Analytics Technology Proves Benefits of an MBA
    9 Min Read
    data-driven image seo
    Data Analytics Helps Marketers Substantially Boost Image SEO
    8 Min Read
    construction analytics
    5 Benefits of Analytics to Manage Commercial Construction
    5 Min Read
  • Big Data
  • BI
  • Exclusive
  • IT
  • Marketing
  • Software
Search
© 2008-23 SmartData Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: The Business versus IT—Tear down this wall!
Share
Notification Show More
Latest News
data analytics in sports industry
Here’s How Data Analytics In Sports Is Changing The Game
Big Data
data analytics on nursing career
Advances in Data Analytics Are Rapidly Transforming Nursing
Analytics
data analytics reveals the benefits of MBA
Data Analytics Technology Proves Benefits of an MBA
Analytics
anti-spoofing tips
Anti-Spoofing is Crucial for Data-Driven Businesses
Security
ai in software development
3 AI-Based Strategies to Develop Software in Uncertain Times
Software
Aa
SmartData Collective
Aa
Search
  • About
  • Help
  • Privacy
Follow US
© 2008-23 SmartData Collective. All Rights Reserved.
SmartData Collective > Inside Companies > The Business versus IT—Tear down this wall!
Inside Companies

The Business versus IT—Tear down this wall!

JimHarris
Last updated: 2010/09/16 at 8:00 AM
JimHarris
5 Min Read
SHARE

Business Information Technology

Contents
Isn’t IT a part of the Business?Purple PeopleTearing down the Business-IT Wall

Business Information Technology

This diagram was published in the July 2009 blog post Business Information Technology by Steve Tuck of Datanomic, and was based on a conference conversation with Gwen Thomas of the Data Governance Institute, about the figurative wall, prevalent in most organizations, which literally separates the Business, who usually own its data and understand its use in making critical daily business decisions, from Information Technology (IT), who usually own and maintain the hardware and software infrastructure of its enterprise data architecture.

More Read

Data Scientists

What Aspiring Data Scientists Are Looking For in Hiring Companies

5 Innovative and Diverse Uses of Big Data
Learn from Carnegie Mellon’s School of Data Management Hard Knocks
Intacct Improves Cloud of Collaboration, Payments and Reporting
Robot HR: How HR is Contributing to Unemployment

The success of all enterprise information initiatives requires that this wall be torn down, ending the conflict between the Business and IT, and forging a new collaborative union that Steve and Gwen called Business Information Technology.

 

Isn’t IT a part of the Business?

In his recent blog post Isn’t IT a Part of “the Business”?, Winston Chen of Kalido examined this common challenge, remarking how “IT is often a cost center playing a supporting role for the frontline functions.  But Finance is a cost center, too.  Is Finance really the Business?  How about Human Resources?  We don’t hear HR people talk about the Business versus HR, do we?”

“Key words are important in setting the tone for communication,” Winston explained.  “When our language suggests IT is not a part of the Business, it cements a damaging us-versus-them mentality.”

“It leads to isolation.  What we need today, more than ever, is close collaboration.”

 

Purple People

Earlier this year in his blog post “Purple People”: The Key to BI Success, Wayne Eckerson of TDWI used a colorful analogy to discuss this common challenge within the context of business intelligence (BI) programs.

Wayne explained that the color purple is formed by mixing two primary colors: red and blue.  These colors symbolize strong, distinct, and independent perspectives.  Wayne used red to represent IT and blue to represent the Business.

Purple People, according to Wayne, “are key intermediaries who can reconcile the Business and IT and forge a strong and lasting partnership that delivers real value to the organization.”

“Pure technologists or pure business people can’t harness BI successfully.  BI needs Purple People to forge tight partnerships between business people and technologists and harness information for business gain.”

I agree with Wayne, but I believe all enterprise information initiatives, and not just BI, need Purple People for success.

 

Tearing down the Business-IT Wall

My overly dramatic blog post title is obviously a reference to the famous speech by United States President Ronald Reagan at the Berlin Wall on June 12, 1987.  For more than 25 years, the Berlin Wall had stood as a symbol of not only a divided Germany and divided political ideologies, but more importantly, it was both a figurative and literal symbol of a deeper human divide.

Although Reagan’s speech was merely symbolic of the numerous and complex factors that eventually lead to the dismantling of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War, symbolism is a powerful aspect of human culture—including corporate culture.

The Business-IT Wall is only a figurative wall, but it literally separates the Business and IT in most organizations today.

So much has been written about the need for Business-IT Collaboration on successful enterprise information initiatives that the message is often ignored because people are sick and tired of hearing about it.

However, although there are other barriers to success, and people, process, and technology are all important, by far the most important factor for true and lasting success to be possible is—people—collaborating.

Organizations must remove all symbolic obstacles, both figurative and literal, which contribute to the human divide preventing enterprise-wide collaboration within their unique corporate culture.

As for the Business-IT Wall, and all other similar barriers to our collaboration and success, the time is long overdue for us to:

Tear down this wall!

 

JimHarris September 16, 2010
Share this Article
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn
Share

Follow us on Facebook

Latest News

data analytics in sports industry
Here’s How Data Analytics In Sports Is Changing The Game
Big Data
data analytics on nursing career
Advances in Data Analytics Are Rapidly Transforming Nursing
Analytics
data analytics reveals the benefits of MBA
Data Analytics Technology Proves Benefits of an MBA
Analytics
anti-spoofing tips
Anti-Spoofing is Crucial for Data-Driven Businesses
Security

Stay Connected

1.2k Followers Like
33.7k Followers Follow
222 Followers Pin

You Might also Like

Data Scientists
Big DataExclusiveInside CompaniesITJobs

What Aspiring Data Scientists Are Looking For in Hiring Companies

7 Min Read

5 Innovative and Diverse Uses of Big Data

8 Min Read
Image
AnalyticsData ManagementData QualityInside CompaniesRisk Management

Learn from Carnegie Mellon’s School of Data Management Hard Knocks

3 Min Read

Intacct Improves Cloud of Collaboration, Payments and Reporting

0 Min Read

SmartData Collective is one of the largest & trusted community covering technical content about Big Data, BI, Cloud, Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, IoT & more.

giveaway chatbots
How To Get An Award Winning Giveaway Bot
Big Data Chatbots Exclusive
data-driven web design
5 Great Tips for Using Data Analytics for Website UX
Big Data

Quick Link

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Follow US

© 2008-23 SmartData Collective. All Rights Reserved.

Removed from reading list

Undo
Go to mobile version
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?