The IT department will disappear within five years

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Computer Weekly writes that the IT department ‘will disappear within five years’.

The traditional IT department will disappear within five years as core computing services are increasingly delivered via the internet, according to software as a service (SaaS) firm Nasstar.

Nasstar CEO Charles Black says that by 2013 web-based applications in the workplace make IT departments redundant.

He said money and time are wasted because IT systems are being managed on-site, but soon the vast majority of office workers will log on to the internet to access everything they need.

“IT has become a utility. And in the same way that companies do not have a chief electricity officer to help people plug in and power their devices, so the costly overhead of IT management will be replaced by a simple plug-and-play approach over the internet.”

He said this approach will remove the need to spend money on computing services simplify installation and software asset management.

“The IT industry is in the middle of an industrial transformation, which is ending the need for IT staff who install and support traditional on-premise desktop computers.”

But he said that IT support workers will always have a place.

“As with any industry where technology transforms the way things work, there is going to have to be re-deployment of skills. IT staff should have their skills focused on delivering competitive advantage for their businesses rather than being retained to deliver standard computing services that are a utility and can be delivered over the internet. Companies should be quick to change the focus of their IT department to be business development departments that ensure business success.”

Even though the industry is moving in this direction, I think five years is still early. But what do you think?