Reality IT: The More Things Change...

After 34 columns, reality IT is coming to an end as I transition into another phase of my professional life. I have decided to move into technology consulting and leave the world of corporate IT (at least for a few years). In this, my final column, I want to leave you with this thought: On the surface, IT seems to be in a constant state of change, but beneath the churn of technology the profession is guided by long-standing principles.

This realization came to me about a year ago, when I was visiting my hometown and had the opportunity to catch up with the parents of one of my childhood friends. My friend's father worked as an IT consultant when the field was in its infancy. I sat and listened to his stories, like a young soldier in awe of a seasoned veteran. So much of what we discussed is as pertinent today as it was then.

First, my friend's father could see even then that organizations would rely on IT and IT workers to drive the business. Today, IT is at the heart of every critical function in a business, and IT must provide an advantage for the company. Conversely, technologists must take into account the impact system downtime has and ensure that IT problems don't impede the business.Another principle that doesn't change is that IT is about people, both clients and staff. Technology is powerful but people are the lifeblood of the system. As has been stressed in various tales on these pages, a key to our field is customer service; the core of what we do is taking care of the organization's people and systems. On the staffing side, ensure that being a member of the IT team is challenging and rewarding, and always be sure to recognize and acknowledge a job well done.

Next, business and IT must be aligned to meet today's challenges. Whether the organization is a nonprofit, part of the government or a commercial firm, the IT staff must understand the business deeply to best support it. We must possess an astounding amount of knowledge about the business and the company mission to demonstrate and convey the value of IT in our projects.

IT is also driven by standards. I see the increasing use of standards such as CMMI (Capability Maturity Model Integration) and ITIL (IT Infrastructure Library), as well as governance initiatives like Cobit and others, as beneficial to the profession. Especially important is the use of solid project-management practices (project-management skills increasingly are in demand in IT these days). Our staff members are called to manage both projects and people. The most successful IT projects are those in which project-management standards are really used.

The final unchanging principle is to prepare for change. The nature of IT requires that we all keep up with many technologies. Leaders and managers must foster training and education as we're continually asked to learn new products, new processes and new skills. Don't underestimate the effort it takes to be at the "top" of your game in IT. I joke that IT staffers are like doctors treating patients--except with anatomy that changes almost daily.

Our field has grown into a true profession in my opinion--a vocation that calls for a great amount of specialized education across a variety of disciplines, as well as a considerable amount of hands-on practical experience. As with other professions, we in IT have training requirements, continuing education demands to keep up with the field, and certifications. We differ from some professions, such as law and medicine, that have regulatory bodies, but I could see IT moving in that direction in the future.I'd like to thank Network Computing for providing me the opportunity to communicate with my peers, and I hope you have enjoyed my stories and the lessons they convey. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here. Thank you all!

Hunter Metatek is an enterprise IT director with 15 years' experience in network engineering and management. The events chronicled in this column are based in fact--only the names are fiction. Write to the author at [email protected].