On 26 Jul 2005 12:17:35 -0700, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
>Isn't it more of an infrastructure issue? Don't throw more
>money at it if it's working becomes the working mantra. Then
>committees spring up to justify their existence and terms like
>'modern appliances','legacy business fundamentals', and 'paradigm extension'
>start creeping in. Eventually the PFCSKs start revolting and with exposure
>only to WINTEL/*nix the destiny is foretold.
You know, we may look with disdain at these organizations because they
aren't writing checks for the latest mainframe technology, but sometimes
the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!" mantra has something to offer.
If I'm running American Airlines, it does me no good to have the finest IT
infrastructure that money can buy, IF I HAVE NO MONEY LEFT OVER FOR
FUEL!!! Bright, shiny new z9 systems don't generate revenue; butts in
seats do. On the other hand, a fleet of shiny new 777s may not do much
good if passenger reservations get lost, or the mechanics back in the
hangar don't know where the new supply of spare engines have been stored
(the rotables system is down again!).
Pick an industry, any industry (outside of software development, anyway)
and it's pretty clear that a variety of different resources -- all of them
important in one way or another -- are required to keep a business
successful.
Unfortunately, most companies probably have more needs than money. So a
critical part of good management becomes the allocation of resources to
try and satisfy as many needs as possible. Sometimes, this means that one
department isn't going to get something it asked for because another
department's needs are more critical. Yes, IT would like a new z9, and
workload statistics indicate that one will be needed within two years; but
you know, our systems *are* running fine at the moment, while both
heavy-jet tugs at the Kansas City station finally died and need
replacement.[1]
Eric
[1] Although I haven't priced one lately, an FMC B-1200 aircraft tow
tractor probably costs at least as much as a z9 box. So, do you spend the
money on the z9 because it has features that might be useful *down the
road someday*, or do you buy the tug so that the 767s aren't stuck at the
gate? Either choice requires a check with *lots* of digits to the left of
the decimal place, and you may not have enough money for both!
--
Eric Chevalier E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Web: www.tulsagrammer.com
Is that call really worth your child's life? HANG UP AND DRIVE!
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