1.3. How Traditional Business and IT Interact

A typical IT viewpoint is based solely around technology, which the business side usually finds frustrating, but it is a key view based on a solid foundation of finance. People argue that a system to match business needs must be produced specifically for the business. However, it is normally more cost-effective to buy in and customize than it is to produce all software internally, even though the IT people are usually providing 95 percent to 98 percent of the system for 4 percent to 5 percent of a complete made-to-order system. Unfortunately, these constraints are felt hard within the business, and usually little or no justification is given as to why these constraints happen.

The business function of an organization impinges just as much on IT as IT does on the business. A business will often think at a low-level document-centric view and not necessarily on the whole needs of the organization.