Is it IT or BS?
As the co-owner of a Technology Solutions group, I have struggled to explain what it is that Tricension does. We create business value through technology – an accurate statement, but really doesn’t convey what we do. We hired a number of marketing firms and consultants, but have yet to really land on a way to explain our services to the average person. After thinking about why explaining what we do is so difficult, I realized that we are not only fighting the battle to explain what we do, but to clearly define IT in its general form. The Information Technology industry doesn’t make it easy to understand the different layers of technology that make a business run. Let me try.
Physical Infrastructure – the wiring, whether physical copper or optical, of computers to local office networks and/or remote offices.
Data Infrastructure – the layer of technology that keeps track of everything from the configuration of your computer to the last client you spoke to.
Network Infrastructure – the networking of a computer, locally and globally, to other office devices and world headquarters, including the internet. This is the technology layer commonly called “plumbing” that gives us access to corporate and internet resources.
These three layers of technology form the infrastructure for systems. So when someone says they work in IT, they generally mean the information technology infrastructure.
On top of the infrastructure there is the layer that manages and automates the processes in a business. This is considered the Business System. Some common Business Systems are Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), and Human Capital Management (HRIS) systems. Developed by companies such SalesForce, SAP, Oracle, and Microsoft, they are designed to be a configured business system.
So are we IT or BS? Tricension works on BS. No really, Tricension architects and creates Business Systems that automate business process across a company and their customer base. When Tricension is engaged in an Enterprise Architecture Plan, we are focused on understanding the company’s business model, value chain and forward thinking business strategies. These business factors are critical to the design of the Business Systems Architecture to support current and future systems needs of the organization.
In other words, Business Systems “run on” IT infrastructure, but require a system, or an integrated set of business systems, to automate the processes and communication in a company. For more information on the OSI Model visit this article.
The next time someone tells you they work in IT, say, “BS or IT?” There is a difference.