of course IT is an entity
I find it wearisome when people criticise those who talk about "IT and the business". Apparently we are not allowed to refer to all the units that internal IT serves as "the business". We are told "IT must be part of the business" etc.
Of course IT is an entity within the business, distinct from the business. What are they on about?
It's one of those easy things to say, "be part of the business". Of course IT is an entity, just like Finance. Finance is a good analogy, becuase information is as important an asset and resource as money is. "Lets dissolve the Finance dept and put an accountant in every other department." That'll work.
Humans have been specialising since the first guy traded knapped flint for mammoth steak. Corporations are more efficient and effective than smaller entities: that's how they survive their own incompetence. They achieve it by centralizing specialists who build and share expertise.
There will always be IT experts specialising within the organisations. They do so to manage the governors' IT interests. At a minimum they manage risk, policy, architecture, compliance. At a maximum they execute all IT activities in-house.
On a different spectrum, at one extreme they all sit together, and at the other extreme they distribute their locations. But they should always work together as an entity.
Another good analogy that we in IT understand - other than the obvious one of Finance - is PMO, project management office. The PMO may only advise, or it may own all the PMs and manage all the projects. Either way, it's better than not having a PMO.
"IT is dead", "do away with IT", " IT is just part of the business".... It s all bollocks. Keep up the good work.
Made in New Zealand 
