IT Moves in — with the Business

Computerworld on February 27, 2006

This 20,000-foot case study of a staffing shift at Verizon Communications comes down squarely in favor of co-locating business staff and the IT teams that support them. In this case, the IT staff got a first-hand look at inefficiencies and used those insights to rapidly develop systems that track customer orders and anticipate bandwidth needs. We’d note that in the overall feel-good vibe you get from this article, the writer doesn't explore the trade-offs and management headaches that must accompany de-centralizing IT staff. The article does note that many shops aren't crazy about co-locating IT with business; there's probably a reason, even if it's not a great one.