Well, don't get rid of the department. Just refocus it.
Early in my career, our department was called Data Processing. A change in management led to a new name which better represented the value that we were bringing to the business - Management Information Systems - MIS. Over the last decade or so, we seem to have become simply IT, Information Technology. The name implies that our mission is more about technology and less about information. "Management Information" is an infrequently uttered phrase, at best.
Businesses today, especially small and medium organizations, don't need technocrats building empires based on expensive information technology infrastructures. From a technology point of view, they need cost-effective, reasonably current desktops, laptops, and portable devices and robust and secure networks. With Software As A Service gaining acceptance across all sectors, the inner sanctum of the corporate data center, especially in smaller enterprises, should be on the endangered list.
The optimum technology landscape - the typical architecture (if there is such a thing) is not the problem. The problem is a matter of emphasis and design of the business function and the roles of the people providing it. What businesses need instead of those technocrats are business people who have a seat at the management table and who know how to apply information technology to benefit the business. We need fewer IT people and more MIS people, fewer IT departments and more MIS departments.
Management Information Systems exist to provide answers to important business questions, enable operational efficiency, keep the regulators happy, and create competitive advantage. The old tried and true triangle still applies. Management Information Systems are a synergistic whole of people, processes and technology. The purpose is not found in the technology itself. The purpose is running the business and making it better.
Don't get me wrong. A lot of IT Departments are providing great MIS services. Still, most would benefit from a pause to reflect on their reason for being, and possibly a name change, to keep their real goals front and center. All need a periodic thorough review. Some need a blank page overhaul.
We need to focus less on getting the most out of the technology and more on getting the most out of the information we already have to improve customer service, build better mousetraps, and grow and sustain the enterprise. There is no time like the present to critically review how much money, staff time, management attention is focused on
information technology instead of
management information and then take steps toward a renewed
focus on the important.
On the other hand, there are days when all of this works harmoniously in a symphony of orchestrated people, processes and technologies to accomplish tasks large and small. The other evening I was finishing a client presentation and printed a few paper copies to bring to the meeting the next day. From my laptop somewhere downstairs, I sent the job to my printer somewhere upstairs. While the printer was doing what printers do, it sent an alert to my laptop that the yellow ink was low - not empty, just low. It even sent me a link to the manufacturer's web site where I could order more yellow ink. I followed the link and checked the price. Then, with a quick copy and paste of the part number, I checked the price for the same item on Amazon.com where it was offered for about 10% less. Thanks to my Amazon Prime membership, two-day shipping was free. I hit the "Buy Now with 1-click" button and that was that, in less than a minute.