Nothing like a cold day in Chicago.  Well, it’s cold for the current weather considering it was just 70 degrees a few days; I guess if I lived in the arctic this would be considered warm.  Anyway, I’m in Chicago at the tail end of my S*****w training (sorry, I’m “technically” trying to be vendor agnostic).  After seeing some really cool things with the tool, I’m really starting to realize that these ITSM products are moving beyond IT.  Or maybe it’s the beginning of IT “merging” with the business; either way, thinking about it just seems to bring up a deep and ominous voice in my head that says “It has begun!”

During a CIO panel discussion earlier in the year, most of the participants agreed that IT and business are going to move closer together in the future, until merging into a single unit (read http://www.itilandme.com/?p=238).  So, what does this mean?  OK, obviously IT isn’t really going to be taking over the business functions, but it does mean there’s going to be a change in how the businesses’ customers interact and rely upon IT.  Case in point, I once heard Virgin Arlines described as an IT company that flies planes, while British Airways is an airline company that uses IT to enhance services (I think I got that from Malcom Fry – I better check my sources).  Since I know I’m not (completely) crazy, I can be sure I heard such a reference and it paints the merger of IT and “the business” perfectly:  Business processes are starting to really become IT processes…they’re merging.

Stepping back for a moment,  I want to tie this into my experience from this week.  The tool I’m using was originally developed to provide IT Service Management; Incident Management, Change Management, etc.  The technology, however, has evolved from a SaaS to a PaaS.  It’s no longer expected to be used for IT and ITSM related activities.  It’s now a platform from where IT can build specific services for “the business,” to be used by “the business.”  Does this sound interesting to you?  Well, if not then you’re reading the wrong blog – the concept is very interesting to me (until my ADHD takes my attention somewhere else).  IT is now taking a (formerly) dedicated tool for its own use and building applications and processes outside of the original scope.  In other words, both business and IT are now sharing software products.  I don’t know about you, but this sounds like a merge to me.  Here’s hoping “we can all just get along.”

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Started working in IT in 1999 as a support desk analyst as a way to help pay for food during college. Studied Electrical Engineering for two years before realizing biochemistry was more fun than differential equations, and so ultimately graduated with a Biology degree in 2006. Having (reluctantly) failed at getting accepted into dental school, embraced working in IT and has gone broke becoming an ITIL Expert. Likes to jog, sing camp songs, quote Mel Brooks movie lines and make dumb jokes and loves working for an Israeli tech company where December 25th is a regular work day.