Intelligence is Key in Information revolution Era

By Bruce Meraviglia, Technology & Marketing Editor

The 18^th Century was considered the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, in which new forms of mechanical devices and machines were introduced to improve productivity, lower cost, and allow for the manufacture of products that otherwise were not practical to produce.  In the 20^th Century, we witnessed the beginning of the Information Revolution, the revolution which, more than any other, has eliminated considerations of strength, gender or wealth of the individuals who are the technology developers.  With the advent of the information revolution, the key determinant of success has become the intelligence with which it can be developed and exploited, not the physical strength or gender of the person creating it.

As individuals, companies, and countries, we are still finding new ways to exploit the various IT technologies developed (or promised) only a few years ago that are finally becoming available.   In this age of what is increasingly ubiquitous information technologies, ranging from smart cellular phones to (freely available) open source software and broadband communications backbones, the MFI industry, like every other industry, is faced with the dilemma of which technology to implement and at what cost.  Unlike the industrial revolution, the pace at which the technologies spawned by the information revolution have become affordable, in some cases to the point of becoming commodities, is unmatched in history.  The nature of the information technologies (IT) that are now widely available have significantly diminished the gap between what large companies can afford and what small or non-profit companies are able to acquire.  With the affordable nature of technology comes the inevitable issue of how to evaluate, select, implement, and manage these technology options.

This month’s issue is primarily focused on the use of information technology (IT) in the MFI.  Jerry Peloquin, who normally writes this editorial, often refers to IT as the “nervous system of the business” – creating an analogy of the business’s computer software, hardware and communications network with the human body’s nervous system, through which all physical sensations from and commands to the body’s muscles and organs flow.  This is a useful way to think of IT in terms of its value to the modern business, in that the business is no longer able to fully function without an effective IT “system,” as well as the degree to which IT has penetrated every function within a modern business.  Like the human nervous system, the average business person no longer thinks of the IT system as something unique or special… it is just something you expect to have as part of a functioning  organization.

The problem with letting the value of IT slide into the background, where it is viewed as just another business function, is that IT has typically lost its unique distinction, and, therefore, a sense of its contribution to the business.  With the change in status where IT is now viewed as a common function, rather than a unique capability, IT is no longer challenged in terms of its existence in the organization.  IT is, though, often misunderstood as to its value, or worth, to the organization.  While it would be impossible to highlight every technology option that an MFI could choose to implement, in this, our first IT-focused issue, we have decided to present editorials, articles, and reviews of a few of the available software products that we believe offer a greater benefit through their use than would be available without them.  Essentially, in this first, focused issue, we have tried remind our readers of the value and worth of IT’s contribution to the MFI.