2 Chapter 1 • Managing IT in a Digital World
Next, we briefly describe some recent IT trends that have led
to (1) new ways for businesses to compete and (2) new ways
for employees to accomplish their work. Then we briefly
introduce the key IT management responsibilities in today’s
organizations and the types of IT assets that need to be
managed in collaboration with business leaders. The chapter
ends with a brief summary of the topics that will be covered
in the remaining Parts I–IV of this textbook.
Recent Information Technology Trends
As a personal user of various computer and communication
devices, you are probably already aware of some of the
innovations in computer systems and networks that have
been introduced by IT vendors over the past decade. This
fast-paced technological change makes it difficult to
accurately predict the IT products and services that will be
“winners” tomorrow—and significant mispredictions about
technologies have been common in the past (see the box
“Mispredictions by IT Industry Leaders”). However, it
seems safe to predict that computer and communication de-
vices will continue to touch almost every aspect of our lives.
In Part I of this textbook, we will discuss in detail the
key concepts underlying today’s computer systems (hard-
ware and software) and network technologies. For now, let
us briefly consider some of the technology developments
that have already led to pervasive computing in the first
decades of this twenty-first century.
Computer Hardware: Faster, Cheaper, Mobile
Computer-on-a-chip (microcomputer) technology was avail-
able as early as the 1970s, and the introduction of the first
IBM Personal Computer (PC) in 1981 was the beginning of
desktop computing. Today, desktop and portable computers
produced by manufacturers around the world have become
commodity products with processing power that is equiva-
lent to an organization’s entire computing center of the
1960s. The typical computer for individuals to use today has
graphical icons, point-and-click and/or touch screen naviga-
tion, and preloaded software to access the Internet—all at a
cheaper price than what the same features would have cost
12 months earlier, with better computer virus protection.
Because of their portability and wireless capabilities, light-
weight laptop and notebook computers are replacing larger
desktop machines in offices today. They can be carried into
meetings, taken on business trips, and used at home to
remotely connect to office systems.
Smaller, handheld devices have also continued to im-
prove in functionality and have become indispensable tools
to access e-mail and other applications inside and outside of
the office, on the factory floor, as well as in hospital corri-
dors. In mid-2007, Apple Computer began selling a new
smartphone (iPhone) with touch screen navigation and
scrolling, and simplified calling from an address book,
e-mail and text messaging, visual voice mail, video playing,
and Web browsing via Wi-Fi connectivity. Since then, other
IT vendors have been developing smartphones with similar
features, and Apple has introduced a lightweight notebook
computer (the iPad) with a similar interface.Computer Software: Integrated, Downloadable, Social
By the early 1990s, Microsoft Corporation’s Windows soft-
ware had become the standard operating system for the vast
majority of microcomputers being used as desktop and
portable computer “clients.” By the end of the 1990s,
Microsoft’s Office suite (i.e., word processing, spreadsheet,
database, slideshow presentation, and e-mail software sold
in a single bundle) as well as its Web browser (InternetMispredictions by IT Industry Leaders
This “telephone” has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication.
The device is inherently of no value to us.
—Western Union internal memo, 1876
I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.
—Thomas Watson, Chairman of IBM, 1943
But what [is a microchip] good for?
Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM, 1968
There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.
—Ken Olson, President, Chairman, and Founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977
640K ought to be enough for anybody.
—Attributed to Bill Gates, Chairman of Microsoft, 1981
[Based on Kappelman, 2001; Jones, 2003]