Monday, May 10, 2004

 

Carr's re-defined "IT Doesn't Matter" looks suspiciously like The Stupid Network

Nicholas Carr, in his new book, _IT Doesn't Matter_, based on the Harvard Business Review article by the same name, has retrenched his definition of what, precisely, doesn't matter. To quote Don Tapscott's recent critique in CIO Magazine:
In making the case that IT has become a commodity, Carr's original definition includes data and information. He argues that "it's hard to imagine a more perfect commodity than a byte of data—endlessly and perfectly reproducible at virtually no cost."

In fact, nothing in the universe is as diverse as a byte of data, which can carry information ranging from baby pictures to a digitally signed million-dollar bank transfer. It's like saying that Shakespeare's works are a commodity because he uses the alphabet just like everybody else. As many critics of Carr's view have pointed out, nothing is more scarce than the right information at the right time.

Now, having retreated from that view, he's redefined IT as "all the technology, both hardware and software, used to process and transport information in digital form...this does not encompass the information that flows through the technology."
Why, if Carr had framed "what matters" in terms of a layered communications stack, it'd look an awful lot like The Stupid Network.

Thanks to John Jordan's most excellent e-newsletter "early indications" for this pointer. Highly recommended -- contact john dot jordan at capgemini dot com

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