IT Pragmatism

There's been a lot of blog discussions lately about IT practicality, software companies and enterprise architecture. It's refreshing to hear people taking a step away from large, complex and "enterprisey" architectures. I'm a pragmatist. I think IT solutions should solve a business problem and NOT introduce new ones. When I was in the services business, I tried to design and implement solutions that were simple, easy-to-use and efficient. I joined MaXware because they have very practical software products that work without complex architectural requirements. People that want to spend years to implement an IT solution seem to me to be confused - the business requirements will change drastically over those years. You need a direction and a goal to work toward, but implement quick-win real-world solutions that provide value and you'll move toward your goal while minimizing cost and frustration. I think this has been especially true of Identity Management solutions and will continue to be so for years to come. So, if you're embarking on an Identity Management journey, try to work out a 3 month cyclical pattern of building real business value while driving toward a long term goal. You'll generate executive and team support for the project by showing quick success and you'll be ready to adapt as the business landscape changes.