What is Digg?106 Comments
- ExSlashdotter, on 03/24/2008, -2/+46'Technologically-retarded people dying off'?
Hardly. Ever seen the lines forming behind the Geek Squad counter these days? As a Network Admin, I can tell you we're nowhere *near* the point where people can take care of their own stuff. Shoot, many users are totally flustered having to change their password every 60 days, much less configuring a Pix or an Exchange server.
Show me a decent sized company that can live without a basic helpdesk. I dare you. Once you find one of those, then talk to me about that company not needing higher-level IT staff.
Hey, average joe user that can barely enter your timesheet! Would you mind load-balancing these SQL servers for me? That'd be awesome, thanks. - Lubinski, on 03/24/2008, -1/+39"putting powerful tools directly into the hands of non-technical workers"
Anyone see a problem here? - JasonCox, on 03/24/2008, -2/+30We're not going anywhere. I just had a user who said her Internet wasn't working... plugged the Cat5 into the laptop and like magic the tubes started flowing!
- Lubinski, on 03/24/2008, -1/+19True that people growing up now are more "tech savy." But I read an article once that says all these "tech savy" people know nothing about supporting systems. Which is true. You can be "tech savvy" and not know a thing about supporting systems infrastructure.
- Wingdom, on 03/24/2008, -0/+13knowing the people I know, even my age, IT will NEVER become extinct.
- rcarroll215, on 03/24/2008, -0/+11Trust me, the younger, more tech savvy "know enough to be dangerous" people are more of a threat to information systems than the older clueless people could ever be. As long as you have that one guy who keeps trying to chew up the company's bandwidth with internet radio or an executive who wants to install video poker on his corporate laptop, we'll all still have jobs.
- Wootstapler, on 03/24/2008, -1/+10This article doesn't answer much just by asking itself more questions...
- ExSlashdotter, on 03/24/2008, -0/+9You know what else I'm sick of? Im guessing most of the people digging this story are the people that I cant stand dealing with all day. The guys that think they're network engineers just cause they bought a Linksys router at Best Buy. The guys that think they're computer ninjas just because they installed the latest version of Vista, and they think we're totally full of crap.
But ask them how a friggin windows domain works. They have no idea. Ask them what Active Directory *is*. They won't have heard of it. - inactive, on 03/24/2008, -0/+8Yeah, IT is going to become extinct. lol. Next in line will be Doctors. Who needs them anymore, we have webmd now right? And people are healthier, and living longer.
The writer is ignorant, and either works at a very small company who does simplex things, or simply has no clue what IT does.
Without IT, the writer wouldn't be able to write this stupid blog. - madwickedstiner, on 03/24/2008, -0/+8Not even close... As long as this person exists:
Stupid user: "Hey, IT, help! My monitor isn't on"
IT guy: "Have you tried pressing the power button?"
Stupid user: "OH! There we go! You're a life saver"
Then I have a job.. and trust me, that person will exist at every organization till the end of time.
Especially in organizations that have highly intelligent, specialized jobs, where they spent so much of their time learning about one thing, that they had to let the knowledge of other things fall by the wayside. Doctors are a HUGE example of this, I currently work at a hospital with a bunch of seemingly "retarded" Doctors and Nurses... All of whom are good at their jobs, but "retarded" or "disinterested" about technology. - aceiii222, on 03/24/2008, -0/+8Obviously this person is not in the IT field. I work with Id10T's all day long and this nation is still a long way from having IT becoming extinct. It could happen one day...but that day is still a long way off.
- Samurai77, on 03/24/2008, -0/+8As an IT guy myself, I think this guy is on crack. What, are you going out hire the Geek squad to setup your enterprise server farm?!?!? or get the CEO who is comfortable with tech to do it? Ya right!
- syriusblack, on 03/24/2008, -0/+8got an email yesterday from someone.
"""Subject: My email isn't working. Could you fix it?"""
..................FAIL!..... - vibrokatana, on 03/24/2008, -0/+8Not to mention the risk to security with out a standardized, well thought out policy. You will have idiots placing everything on the web and surprised when it gets wiped and they don't know what a backup is when they call for help.
- syriusblack, on 03/24/2008, -1/+9sounds like someone is worried his high priced education with be worthless when the company hires that nerd that was programming at 12 years old.
- colonelpanic, on 03/24/2008, -7/+14It better not be, or my future career is proper *****.
- fenris6644, on 03/24/2008, -2/+8Buried for silly, sensational headline.
- Aidenf77, on 03/24/2008, -0/+6No. It's just evolving. It might have been the nerd in the corner cube with the pocket protectors and "birth-control" glasses condescending to any and all who didn't know as much he did. But today's IT environment is alive and kicking, and It's demanding more soft-skills, communication, and customer service expertise (in addition to job specific knowledge, skills and experience) than ever before.
- inactive, on 03/24/2008, -1/+7Computer Science is mostly for Programmers, programmers aren't the entirety of the IT Industry. I guess Programmers also know how to design complex network architecture also right? Among the many other jobs in IT.
- jayscot, on 03/24/2008, -0/+6Just tell the little lady at the desk to install the network printer herself then.
- MttPrrish, on 03/24/2008, -0/+6False. All I know is that I have users who can't even cut and paste. I..am..safe.
- doshindude, on 03/24/2008, -0/+5Quite the opposite. IT is quite a career to go into right about now.
- Asrrin29, on 03/24/2008, -1/+6As long as users are idiots, IT will always have a place. SaS and web2.0 can't do ***** if the user doesn't know how to turn on the computer. Also, hardware maintenance is part of IT's job, and that will never go away.
- PDF84, on 03/24/2008, -0/+5As long as there are morons, engineers, and government contracts, there will all was be IT.
- doctechnical, on 03/24/2008, -0/+4Can your users un-jam their printer, or change the toner/ink cartridges without your help? Do they know that the actual PC case isn't "the hard drive"? Do they know the difference between a spread sheet and a word processor? Do they have some vague idea of what you mean when you say "put it on your server share"?
Set the wayback machine to the late 80s. Welcome to my nightmare. "My computer doesn't work, there's nothing on the screen". "Did you turn the monitor on yet?" "Oh."
Users are a hell of a lot more savvy than they used to be, and for that I'm thankful. - boberthepker, on 03/24/2008, -0/+4IT isn't becoming extinct, it's simply evolving into a group of techies that actually have social skillz
- mleaman, on 03/24/2008, -0/+4Self serving article. The writer is an IT consultant spreading FUD for his own financial benefit. Further demonstration of why ZDNET is in the crapper.
- Scotty87, on 03/24/2008, -0/+4No, last time I check - people were still stupid
- chuckpoole, on 03/24/2008, -0/+4This article was written by someone who as no clue what they are talking about. Remove the IT staff (in-house or outsourced) from any business that has over 100 employees and I guarantee that company will go under. I have seen many companies where the "MBA" toting manager decides that he is smarter than the IT Manager and the company goes into a complete tailspin. Just like you need a CFO to run finance and accounting (because it is a highly technical discipline), you also need someone who knows what they are doing on the technical side. Even if that person decides to use SaaS tools, Outsourced technical support, or any other currently popular trend, you still need in-house professionals that guide and safeguard your company's direction without an outside financial inducement.
IT is not becoming extinct. It is just evolving as it always has. There will always be new technology and you will always have users who "don't want to have to be a mechanic to drive a car". Sure cars have become almost idiot proof but you still need a mechanic when the ***** hits the fan. I own an IT services company and my business grows every year in good economies and bad ones. It will always be that way as long as I provide a service that users find valuable.
I often tell people that I am not in the IT business, I am a business productivity consultant. The same holds true for in-house IT professionals.
If you box yourself in you will become extinct in any business, not just IT. - slantyeyed, on 03/24/2008, -0/+3bloggers will go out of style before IT guys do
- jcims, on 03/24/2008, -0/+3Try running UPS on social media and gmail.
- ChaosProfessor, on 03/24/2008, -6/+9nothing like a good ID10T Error
we have a new one though
I will Say it was a PICNIC
Problem
In
Chair
Not
In
Computer - hoopy22, on 03/24/2008, -0/+3What a load of rubbish. Let's watch a "non-technical" person install an IBM P-590 and configure a Cisco 6500 switch.
This author is fail. - Genady, on 03/24/2008, -0/+3Huh... I've got a 2 year degree and have been a SysAdmin and Developer for over 12 years now. Yeah... I'm not so worried.
IT is deeply hurting for people who can bring an operations mentality to the field. CompSci skills are becoming less important, but logistics and more traditional engineering practices.... those are valuable. - bogatash, on 03/24/2008, -0/+3Can you give me two reasons that a IT Admin needs to have a hardcore knowledge on math?
- Murdats, on 03/24/2008, -0/+3pfft, its PEBCAK
Problem Exists Between Chair And Keyboard. - rreadysetno, on 03/24/2008, -0/+3Buried for inaccuracy.
- spaceant, on 03/24/2008, -2/+5India.
- JeyNyce, on 03/24/2008, -0/+3People are starting to have home networks, who are they going to call for help? IT is here to stay. We're just not as popular as we were before, we're like any other dept now.
- ExSlashdotter, on 03/24/2008, -0/+3You point out that most users users don't even know how to *USE* their server share. And you're right. What I'm saying goes way beyond that. Whats the chances those users could SET UP auto-mounting SMB shares without the existence of IT?
The peopl saying IT is obsolete are the ones who think they know everything, but have *zero* understanding of how the backend of a business actually functions. Thats like sailors saying 'who needs the engine room? Its totally irrelevant to what we do on the deck." - wickedjester007, on 03/24/2008, -0/+3The article doesn't really answer any questions. Being in the IT industry for over 12 years I have seen it evolve. Sometimes for the better, and other times not. This kind of article comes up every 5 years or so. IT will change, but not go away. Also I would have to agree with Lubinski2, yes I see a problem giving the muggles access to the technical is a very bad idea.
- shftleft, on 03/24/2008, -0/+3This is a typical example of someone generalizing for the sake of a shock value title to their article. He does have some valid points, but nothing he says is new or even a surprise. Business has been outsourcing commoditized labor since the beginning of time, my organization is going through an adjustment of all aspects of back office business not just IT. The author makes a valid point when he talks about ADP not just selling payroll software but doing it for you.
It's the nature of the business beast that if someone else can do it cheaper, why not go with them? I used to work with a Managed Security Services shop whose customers outsourced their security practice to an external provider. This was a great idea for shops who weren't in the business of securing networks but still needed a level of security that your average admin couldn't provide. Where it got hairy was when the security team at a company was completely outsourced to our shop leaving 1 or 2 stragglers behind to manage the whole enterprise (with us of course). Of course we could do it cheaper, but their management often underestimated and grossly miscalculated the value of in house talent, especially when the ***** hit the fan.
The main problem with getting rid of IT Services in favor of an external source (or getting rid of them in favor of "smarter users') is that you lose that personal touch with the history and architecture of your IT systems. Senior management *is* disconnected with IT, that's *not* a reason to outsource your IT force, it's a reason for more IT people to become businesspeople, so the value of IT services is truly recognized throughout organizations. People like to focus on IT staff and services as a reactionary force: i.e. somethings down and we need to fix it, but what about the 99.999% (depending on your network ;P) of the time that these systems are up and running fine, the IT staff is continually working to improve services and keep things running smoothly so everyone else can do their jobs. The demand for highly skilled IT folks isn't going anywhere, because whether you outsource your IT services or keep them in shop, the requirement to implement, manage, and maintain those systems will always be there.
The title of this article *should* have been "is IT being commoditized?", much less sexy but more on point. The answer is "yes". Will there come a day when people can use a computer just like they use a telephone or wall socket? Maybe, but I think it may be 50 years too soon to call IT on the road to extinction, I wouldn't even put it on the endangered list. =)
-shft - jmoo, on 03/24/2008, -0/+3I guess you will have to call me old school IT, as I don't see IT going anywhere. End users (young, old, experienced, inexperienced) all want the same thing - their computers and by extension their data to just work. Is it easier to setup a network and manage it? Yes it is but the demands put on that network have gone up.
We have 75 users, years ago I might have just two or three servers handling file sharing, shared apps, and maybe a separate mail server. Now I have 8 servers, handling more than a dozen different apps, web servers, and VoIP. I can still manage the load with two people handling servers and end users. Throw in SOX or HIPAA which put a lot of work on an IT department and I don't see IT going anywhere anytime soon. - santaliqueur, on 03/24/2008, -1/+4Certainly not IT people. who don't write software to begin with.
- samdu, on 03/24/2008, -0/+3Users still pretty much suck. And I don't see that changing any time soon.
- rumblestrut, on 03/24/2008, -0/+2Last week a person on my company needed my help sending a vector image to the print shop we use for some materials.
I find the file and send it to the person in our company, telling her she can send the file to the printer as we had previously discussed. She wrote back telling me that she was unable to open the file. I explained to her that yes, she wouldn't be able to open the file because she didn't have the software to open an Illustrator file, but that all she needed to do was forward it on to the printer and that they would be able to open it.
She wrote back saying that she still wasn't able to open it. "I tried sending it to the printer but it wouldn't print."
She was confusing printer (the hardware) with printer (the person who does our printing) when it had been very clear she needed to get the file to the latter.
I just smiled. I'm not going anywhere. - Memitim, on 03/24/2008, -1/+3Or if your IT department can't maintain a reliable email service then the company will just externalize their email operations completely. The only IT departments that are safe are the ones that run lean, run reliably, and focus on the business rather than the tools.
- doctechnical, on 03/24/2008, -0/+2A few observations:
1) The old attitude of IT being a gatekeeper for computer services wasn't "arrogant", it was practical. There was a time when computers were hideously expensive and users were a dime a dozen, and not every user whim was worthy of being indulged. Now that the hardware is cheap you've got users saying they want to run this 200 page report EVERY DAY with the results on thier desk no later than 08:00. WTF are you going to do with a daily 200 page report? You sure as ***** aren't going to *read* it.
2) The major revolution in IT support requirements came about with the interwebs, which was the killer "app" that put PCs in every home. Gone (praise "Bob") are the days when a user looked at the PC on their desk like it was a nuclear ***** reactor they'd just been put in charge of, now the users have actually figured out that the world as we know it probably *won't* end if they explore around and try to fix problems themselves.
3) I would have thought that the Y2k issue sufficient to show us the problem with "rogue" applications in the wild. Somebody's son comes in with 1/5th of a computer degree, creates some half-ass system in a database application no one has heard of before (Nutshell, anyone?), the department starts using it religiously to the point they're dependent on it, then something goes wrong (Y2k, hard drive crash, corrupt tables, you name it) and guess who has to clean up the mess? Meanwhile the department takes a header in productivity because this idiotic *****-app isn't available, and IT gets the blame. Kill rogue programs. Nuke them from orbit, just to be sure. - chrispix, on 03/24/2008, -0/+2I guess where our employees work they don't have to be smart, we have several tools available for users to write their own reports. The issue is A) They don't wan't to, B) They don't understand how.
If A was forced, and they had to write their own, I don't think 95% or more of the employees could understand a rational database design. We had one department creating queries linking tables, looked all fine and dandy, until you saw that they were not utilizing the correct type of joins, and were joining all rows from each table effectively creating more records than necessary (or correct) in their report. - Genady, on 03/24/2008, -0/+2Actually you (sorta) missed one component of centralized IT that's growing as I see it. IdM, Identity Management. This seems in its infancy now, is not an easy thing to do in a company larger than say 1000 employees, and is something like security you probably won't want to outsource.
Brush off those AD books kids. -
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