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Story URL: http://management.silicon.com/itpro/0,39024675,39163504,00.htm

'Kids won't topple the IT department'
Another brick in the wall?

By Natasha Lomas

Published: Tuesday 24 October 2006

silicon.com readers have happy-slapped the notion that the iPod-wielding, mobile-phone toting youth of today will consign the IT department to the scrapheap of redundancy.

In a poll of readers, an overwhelming majority (77 per cent) rejected the premise that 'tech-savvy youngsters are going to make the need for a dedicated IT department a thing of the past', while a mere four per cent stuck their hand up in support of the view that the next generation will displace the techies.

Almost a fifth (19 per cent) responded to the vision of upstart youths overrunning the server room with a tentative 'maybe' - saying they "doubt all teens are so tech-savvy".

Futurologist and former BT CTO, Peter Cochrane, recently fanned the flames of controversy at the annual silicon.com CIO Forum when he said young people are already a disruptive force in the workplace when it comes to their use of technology. "Corporate IT departments are going the way of the typing pool," he warned.

Back in August, a silicon.com CIO Jury was unanimous in its view that the youth-fuelled consumerisation of technology and rise of web 2.0 is more than just a fad - and will lead to seismic changes in the IT industry.

The poll was based on the responses of 325 silicon.com readers.