Leader: Execs - don't wallow in IT ignorance

It sounds like the same old story. Today we heard about more research that found 'the business' (excuse our use of that term this one time) doesn't understand the IT department and vice versa.

In fact it went further. It revealed business people are the biggest barrier to IT being used and progressing as it should do. Heard that one before? Thought so. (In fact you might hear some variation on that just about every day.)

So why bring this up? The important point here is that the 400-strong sample used in said survey - carried out by a research arm of CSC - also included business people. Or executives, to be more precise.

Sure, there were tech surprises too. The research found in-demand IT includes largely humdrum stuff such as disaster recovery and security while lower in priority stands sexy tech including grid and RFID. Suppliers - and the media, dare we add? - apparently overly hype the latter.

But the refreshing point here is that there seems to be a debate going on beyond the usual 'techies must wear a business hat'. This publication still argues that is pressing and desirable. After all, the rest of the organisation isn't going to bend, en masse, towards the ranks of IT on too many occasions.

Yet there is also the message now that no one can wallow in IT ignorance. A basic grasp of what all those 1s and 0s can and cannot do must be to the benefit of any individual and their employer.