By John Oates, 16 August 1999 00:15
NEWS The role of the IT department is changing, moving away from cost savings and towards business strategy, according to Phil Warren, head of technology at the National Computing Centre. In a video interview with Silicon.com, Warren said: "Technology sits in the background, divorced from the mainstream of business. There are exceptions like the finance industry where responsive interaction with data feeds the business and that attitude is getting more prevalent." Stressing "value" rather than "cost", he called for the IT department to educate the rest of the business by proving that they can deliver such services to the company. He claimed successful solutions to problems like the Year 2000 would help prove the effectiveness and importance of technology to business. Warren added that IT directors should take on an expanded role which will make them part of an integrated solution rather than an adjunct or facilitator. By exposing the "brains" of the technical department to the needs of the business, he concluded, they would move into a new role. To watch the full interview with Phil Warren, tune into Silicon.com's IT director channel.
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