Over at LinkedIn Meg Whitman of HP posted an article on her new job. Her first headline within the post reads:
Every Company is a Technology Company
This is a common theme I hear these days. The problem is that it is untrue. Untrue as in not right, completely wrong and the reverse of reality.
Our world used to be one where if you knew how to install an enterprise Wi-Fi solution you could make 6 figures. If you knew how to setup and manage databases you were on the fast track for business leadership. Knowing how to program with a head for business was the big-time.
This historic situation has morphed into a situation where today you must have at least a basic understanding of IT concepts to move up. IT Strategy has become no different than business strategy which has removed it from the hands of IT. To be accurate, Meg’s headline should read:
Every Technology Company is a Company
The best Technology companies in the world focus on business strategy first, not technology strategy. Tech has become the commodity. Anyone who over focuses on the technology will quickly find themselves outrun by a competitor with a good business strategy. Having “flexible IT infrastructure”, finding “valuable insights in data” and providing “digital experiences” is now table stakes.