Someone I know, a big-cheese software developer at a FTSE 100 company, dreads cocktail parties. He knows that his answer to the inevitable “what do you do?” question will immediately be followed by a sudden glazing over of eyes.
After glazing over, those eyes will then start desperately darting around the room for somebody, anybody else – even a corporate lawyer – to talk to rather than the IT professional standing before them.
he irony in the title of the Channel Four comedy programme The IT Crowd reflects the public’s perception of those who work in information technology: the big-haired bespectacled chap in a terrible jumper who speaks a different language to the rest of the company and hides away in a basement office, only venturing out to fix computers or send e-mails about server trouble.
The reality, however, is that the IT industry is the single most important factor in the success of the UK’s economy – the fifth largest economy in the world – and it is at the heart of some of the most iconic brands of our age.
Given the massive influence of mobile phone technology and the internet, that impact is going to increase. We only have to look at the recent havoc caused by the 70-minute glitch on the Dow Jones stock exchange, which caused millions to be wiped off its value in a single day, to see the massive influence technology has on commerce.
Corporate Venturing Without the Tears
After glazing over, those eyes will then start desperately darting around the room for somebody, anybody else – even a corporate lawyer – to talk to rather than the IT professional standing before them.
he irony in the title of the Channel Four comedy programme The IT Crowd reflects the public’s perception of those who work in information technology: the big-haired bespectacled chap in a terrible jumper who speaks a different language to the rest of the company and hides away in a basement office, only venturing out to fix computers or send e-mails about server trouble.
The reality, however, is that the IT industry is the single most important factor in the success of the UK’s economy – the fifth largest economy in the world – and it is at the heart of some of the most iconic brands of our age.
Given the massive influence of mobile phone technology and the internet, that impact is going to increase. We only have to look at the recent havoc caused by the 70-minute glitch on the Dow Jones stock exchange, which caused millions to be wiped off its value in a single day, to see the massive influence technology has on commerce.
Corporate Venturing Without the Tears
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