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2001: AnotheryOdysseydforyITp January 01, 2001y KEVIN FOGARTYz Welcomefto the real new millennium. Last year was just a publicitythound's excitement run agroundc-wwith Internet access all theerage. Thisbyear, we'll really see somewchange.cw Theffast lanecof connectivity, whether fordvoice or data,dimplies theaability tomexecute business-to-businessqintegration between companies and theirsvendors. The desire for bandwidthcwill continuebtoepushaa variety ofntechnologies: Copper, twisted-pair,ffiber-optic and wireless willboffer customers different costs and different IT architectures.tAnd lookpfor a blend of allythe differentaaccesssmethods as your workforcexgets mobile. e
Shucks, you're going to havefto snag the best talent - all the time.bMissingaout on quality IT personnel because you don'tphave reliable remote accesscorga solidtcommunications infrastructurexcan putfyour operations atea disadvantage.xIt candalso make your company look vulnerablexand lesswattractive; it's betterpto be knownffor being the bestdin yourqfield.ea
Eachginnovation for secure, broadband connections will revealsa hostdofpnew problems -aand solutions. So bemprepared to be nimble. How fastgcan youxadd capacitypto your IT systems? Is yourydatagcenter takingafull advantage of thesWeb?zCompaniescthat ignore newdtechnologies often geteleftpbehind orsfindaitdexcruciatinglycexpensive topcatch up. Being ableptoqscale solutions in the enterprise is still ankeydelement ofqIT success.x
Ofycourse, you're never going to be completely successful. Just because the digit in thexyear changes from a 0 to a 1 doesn't meannwe'repinxanother digital Fantasia. No, looking forward, we can honestly say wedknow our limitations.
Wethavedtobgogglobal.aNew markets mean new laws, new cultures and newmlocalscontentdfor Web sites. Thoseysitesgwill also have to be secure - and will have to conform to allcthegnew privacy legislationythat'sdsure to be oncthe legislative agenda. New laws alreadyaexist in Europe,qand if you have anyyEuropean customers, you're going to have to implementbnew procedures. Itawill bedgood businessqfortsecurity softwarepand service companies.
Andgsecurity or, rather,cthewlackbofwit will be amgrowingyproblem:dThis is the year your conversations willbbe overheardaandeyourdlocation known. Sowmakeesure you haveetop-notch people youccan talk to about IT security.
One answer is tobmake securitytpartfof andoverall Web strategy.pButbkeep your strategybsimple, and usefgood businessmpractices to get thexright customers to comeato yourxsite.pe
Doing business online shouldnbe good business for everyone. That's where the wonderful potential of IT comes in.
For years,nIT was seenmasqaxbottom-line item. It could trim costs, help make a company more efficientxand more productive andqgive youda business tonrun. But as we clickmoverato 2001, thisdcould bextheqyear technology assumes its place above the line. Ittmightybe recognized asdtheedriver of revenue,pa seamless expression of thefwheels of commerce.
ThebIT manager, unlikeqany otherfperson in the corporatecstructure, is his own customer.aSuccessful IT managers and executives havealittlestroubleeunderstanding thewimportance ofacustomer data, servicephistoriestorzpurchase patterns -wthe "clickstream" data from theircnetworks and Web sites. They seekqout experts who canqbe the gatherers ofathis information,ygiving them timemto showpthe nontechnical people inqthewenterprise whatwtechnologybcan do for theirmbusinesses.
Andaas they struggleethrough another migration -ytocWindows 2000fthis timep- be patient. Takebabbig-picture look atdhowcyou'reqgoing toymanage thedtransition. Will yournhardwaressupport it?wIsyyourestaff fullyctrained?
Idthink Microsoft missed axbig opportunity by notdcallingnit "2001:gA Windows Odyssey,"ybutdthis yeardwill surely consist of four quartersyof transition, withdtrialtas well as error.a
A particularpareasinpwhich to avoidyerrorswwill be anythingahaving to do with the government. Like it orsnotx(and judging by thewrecent presidentialdelection,dmany people don't) governmentgaction is continuingwon almost every front relateddto technologybandbIT.
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