I may be an IT student five years ago, but the context in which this subject is looked at in this course drastically changes the way I think about it. You see, while I may be having the same general endeavor – studying – I was used to interacting with the subject technically. In this management graduate study however, I was able to see it from a much broader and wider perspective.
I understood the different phases of technology’s life cycle, the factors that govern technological competitiveness, and the importance of innovation. That innovation is totally distinct from invention has opened up new opportunities for me to look at different trends and examine them even further. The importance of project management, and the nuances of IT governance, shed a new light on how crucial an organization’s goals must be well-integrated with its IT infrastructure in achieving its objectives.
I was able to dig deeper into commonly known technologies we may have been taking for granted for its ubiquity – such as wireless networks, collaboration tools, and E-commerce – and contextualize their roles in the our economy. The necessary adoption of ERP software in the appropriate environment bridges different departments of an organization and coheres them into a unified whole. This is truly helpful in further improving customer satisfaction and business operations at the same time.
But the teaching mechanism that had affected me the largest was the formulation of an ISSP for the BFAR Region 6 office. The reason being it was the culmination of all the theoretical concepts discussed in those sleep-deprived Saturdays and given the context of real world consequences. It urged us as a group to be more insightful in giving recommendations that are truly founded in established concepts.
These realizations make the case that a proper understanding of IT management should be a top priority for an organization to thrive in this crazily competitive landscape. While some niches more rooted in cultural tradition do exist, there’s just no denying the fact that our world is now deeply embedded in the trappings of technology; a direction that keeps on going further and further.
Matthew's Couch 