CIO Forum: IT industry accused of 'failing' UK plc

The IT industry was put in the dock and accused of failing UK plc today in a live version of CIO Jury at the silicon.com CIO Forum.

Author, broadcaster and former CIO Rene Carayol put forward the case for the prosecution, arguing that the boardrooms of UK businesses have lost faith in IT.

"Twenty-odd years of credibility more or less disappeared overnight after Y2. Then we spent even more than we did on Y2K [in the dot-com boom]. The IT industry has failed and failed miserably. When are we going to start adding value?"

Carayol argued that a large proportion of IT spend is spent putting right what should have worked in the first place.

"How much are we spending on fixing what we bought in the first place? We're signing cheques because we feel we have to," he said. "When did you last come up with the business case that over-delivered?"

He also pointed the finger at the IT bosses themselves and suggested CIO should almost stand for 'career is over'.

Arguing in defence of the UK IT industry was John Woodget, deputy president of Intellect and UK MD of Intel.

"We have managed to deliver enormous efficiencies for the global economies. The world is a lot better place because of our industry," he said.

The CIO panel also accused the IT industry of failing UK businesses now despite the benefits it has delivered in the past.

John Yard, consultant and former director of business systems at the Inland Revenue, said: "What worries me is the over-promise and under-deliver."

Paul Coby, CIO at British Airways, said he'd like to see fewer salespeople and more businesspeople from IT vendors.

But Paul Heard, CIO at DaimlerChrysler UK, argued it is the business that needs to change and not the IT industry.

"The business needs to improve its understanding of IT," he said.

On a final vote, however, the CIO Jury called the IT industry 'not guilty' of failing UK plc by three votes to one. Yet the audience seemed less convinced and a quick show of hands produced almost the opposite verdict by the same margin.