One thing that strikes me as a bit odd is the constant focus on technology that we suffer from in the IT Business (at least in Sweden). What do you mean? Should we not stay committed to technical excellence? Of course we should but are really Java and .Net the "best" technologies for everything? Let me take you through an example!
Finally I've been invited to Company X. According to my research the product I am about to present should really help them be more effective and possibly even be the thing that turns their annual loss into profit. When I enter the room the CEO, CIO and some more people are present (don't catch their name, my heartbeat is to high).
I start the presentation with walking them thorough a scenario that I believe is similar to what they do on a daily basis. Everyone likes the product and some people even realise that this might help the company focus on the right thing and not all that administrative crap that today takes up most of their time. Sensing that, the CEO asks for the pricing model. I tell him that he realize that the money spent is returned acceptably fast. Then the CIO steps in and ask what technology this is built on. We build it on Platform Y (Opps not Java or .Net). The CIO says that he never heard of Platform Y and firmly declares that we are committed to .Net (or why not Java) at this company and that you can come back when you have a .Net version. Your heart stopped (or at least it stands still for a while). The silence is total.
Why does this happen? Is the technology so important that it justifies not using a product that in all other aspects are great? Or is the CIO just showing his lack of knowledge when it comes to Platform Y? What would you do if you were the CEO?
I'm still waiting for the moment
Labels: .Net, CEO, CIO, Java
