[Web4lib] Demise of IT?

[Bob Craigmile]

It's more the relocation of IT than the demise.  And it's happening, but hard to say where it will end.    Issues to consider:

* the dependability of the product/service.  what are the uptimes of the colo/warehouse/datacenter?  Do they have good redundancy in a post-Katrina world? (backups stored in the same CITY can't be considered safe now).

*what's the net effect of control for your institution?  Some SirsiDynix sites have recently complained of slow access times on the SaaS (Software as a Service) elements where SD hosts their catalog or other content.  SD has responded to those concerns by moving to a new datacenter.

* what happens when you switch platform/sofware/vendor?  Do you own your data?  

I suspect many of us work in an institution that no longer has an "in house" facilities maintenance staff.  Contracted out to a "middleman" agency.  Expertise is deemed too expensive  and too varied (plumbing, electical, etc.) to be handled by on-campus staff.

----- Original Message ----
From: Jennifer Heise <jenne.heise at gmail.com>
To: Web4Lib <web4lib at webjunction.org>
Sent: Thursday, January 10, 2008 3:28:29 PM
Subject: [Web4lib] Demise of IT?


A speaker at a conference I attended yesterday appeared to be
 suggesting
that in 20 years, no non-profit institution (including colleges) would
 have
in-house IT staff, but that it would all be outsourced (either to
 companies
or consortia).  I found this a profoundly disturbing idea, as I see
institutions without in-house IT support going downhill in terms of
productivity and effect. But what do others think?
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