Skip to content
Product cover

Finishing Off IT

July 1, 2006 | H. A. Marquis | Managing Technology
The author re-examines the role of IT as a commodity and considers whether IT can still be used to provide strategic advantage. In discussing regulation, outsourcing relationships and corporate dependence on IT, this article further clarifies the argument that IT will soon be handled by larger corporate utilities. While agreeing that most IT functions can be outsourced to utility-style providers, the article suggests that in-house corporate computing can still provide a strategic advantage.

By examining failed IT outsourcing relationships, the author identifies key aspects of IT, including auditing and reporting procedures and customer-facing resources that are too important to a firm's success to outsource. The author argues that to better exploit these advantages, managers should embrace the fact that IT is no different than any other corporate function, instead of placing it in its own silo separate from other business practices. Only then will the real commoditization of IT be complete and the long-promised benefits be seen.
Purchase Options

Educator and Student Discounts Available. Learn more »

  BENCHMARKS  
Loading Time: Base Classes  0.0005
My Controller Construct  0.0003
Build Nav  0.0007
Controller Execution Time ( Products / Route )  0.0603
Total Execution Time  0.0608
  GET DATA  
No GET data exists
  MEMORY USAGE  
1.5671 MB
  POST DATA  
No POST data exists
  URI STRING  
store/finishing-off-it
  CLASS/METHOD  
products/route
  DATABASE:  MITSLOAN_DEV   QUERIES: 68  (Hide)
0.0025  

SELECT *
FROM (`carts`)
WHERE `cart_id` =  '0f28ddfc67305120146f4362b77971ef'
ORDER BY `created_at` DESC 
0.0003  

SELECT *
FROM (`carts`)
WHERE `cart_id` =  '0f28ddfc67305120146f4362b77971ef'
ORDER BY `created_at` DESC 
0.0002  

SELECT *
FROM (`carts`)
WHERE `cart_id` =  '0f28ddfc67305120146f4362b77971ef'
ORDER BY `created_at` DESC 
0.0007  

SELECT *
FROM (`carts`)
WHERE `cart_id` =  '0f28ddfc67305120146f4362b77971ef'
ORDER BY `created_at` DESC 
0.0013  

SELECT *
FROM (`carts`)
WHERE `cart_id` =  '0f28ddfc67305120146f4362b77971ef'
ORDER BY `created_at` DESC 
0.0001  

SELECT *
FROM (`carts`)
WHERE `cart_id` =  '0f28ddfc67305120146f4362b77971ef'
ORDER BY `created_at` DESC 
0.0007  

SELECT *
FROM (`carts`)
WHERE `cart_id` =  '0f28ddfc67305120146f4362b77971ef'
ORDER BY `created_at` DESC 
0.0001  

SELECT *
FROM (`carts`)
WHERE `cart_id` =  '0f28ddfc67305120146f4362b77971ef'
ORDER BY `created_at` DESC 
0.0001  

SELECT *
FROM (`carts`)
WHERE `cart_id` =  '0f28ddfc67305120146f4362b77971ef'
ORDER BY `created_at` DESC 
0.0004  

SELECT *
FROM (`carts`)
WHERE `cart_id` =  '0f28ddfc67305120146f4362b77971ef'
ORDER BY `created_at` DESC 
0.0002  

SELECT *
FROM (`carts`)
WHERE `cart_id` =  '0f28ddfc67305120146f4362b77971ef'
ORDER BY `created_at` DESC 
0.0001  

SELECT *
FROM (`carts`)
WHERE `cart_id` =  '0f28ddfc67305120146f4362b77971ef'
ORDER BY `created_at` DESC 
0.0001  

SELECT *
FROM (`carts`)
WHERE `cart_id` =  '0f28ddfc67305120146f4362b77971ef'
ORDER BY `created_at` DESC 
0.0001  

SELECT *
FROM (`carts`)
WHERE `cart_id` =  '0f28ddfc67305120146f4362b77971ef'
ORDER BY `created_at` DESC 
0.0002  

SELECT *
FROM (`carts`)
WHERE `cart_id` =  '0f28ddfc67305120146f4362b77971ef'
ORDER BY `created_at` DESC 
0.0001  

SELECT *
FROM (`carts`)
WHERE `cart_id` =  '0f28ddfc67305120146f4362b77971ef'
ORDER BY `created_at` DESC 
0.0001  

SELECT *
FROM (`carts`)
WHERE `cart_id` =  '0f28ddfc67305120146f4362b77971ef'
ORDER BY `created_at` DESC 
0.0001  

SELECT *
FROM (`carts`)
WHERE `cart_id` =  '0f28ddfc67305120146f4362b77971ef'
ORDER BY `created_at` DESC 
0.0002  

SELECT *
FROM (`carts`)
WHERE `cart_id` =  '0f28ddfc67305120146f4362b77971ef'
ORDER BY `created_at` DESC 
0.0001  

SELECT *
FROM (`carts`)
WHERE `cart_id` =  '0f28ddfc67305120146f4362b77971ef'
ORDER BY `created_at` DESC 
0.0001  

SELECT *
FROM (`carts`)
WHERE `cart_id` =  '0f28ddfc67305120146f4362b77971ef'
ORDER BY `created_at` DESC 
0.0002  

SELECT *
FROM (`carts`)
WHERE `cart_id` =  '0f28ddfc67305120146f4362b77971ef'
ORDER BY `created_at` DESC 
0.0001  

SELECT *
FROM (`carts`)
WHERE `cart_id` =  '0f28ddfc67305120146f4362b77971ef'
ORDER BY `created_at` DESC 
0.0001  

SELECT *
FROM (`carts`)
WHERE `cart_id` =  '0f28ddfc67305120146f4362b77971ef'
ORDER BY `created_at` DESC 
0.0001  

SELECT *
FROM (`carts`)
WHERE `cart_id` =  '0f28ddfc67305120146f4362b77971ef'
ORDER BY `created_at` DESC 
0.0001  

SELECT *
FROM (`carts`)
WHERE `cart_id` =  '0f28ddfc67305120146f4362b77971ef'
ORDER BY `created_at` DESC 
0.0002  

SELECT SQL_CALC_FOUND_ROWS cat_id
FROM (`product_categories`)
WHERE `status_id` =  'A'
AND `url_friendly` =  'finishing-off-it'
AND `parent_id` =  1 
0.0049  

SELECT c.parent_id, c.format_id
                    FROM products AS p, products AS c
                    WHERE p.prod_id = c.parent_id AND
                        c.avail_id IN ('A','B','D') AND
                        c.type_id = 'V' AND
                        (
                            c.sku = 'finishing-off-it' OR
                            if(c.format_id = 'Certificate', '', p.url_friendly) = 'finishing-off-it'
                        )
                    LIMIT 1 
0.0008  

SELECT `parent_id`
FROM (`products`)
WHERE `prod_id` =  1323 
0.0003  

SELECT *
FROM (`products`)
WHERE `products`.`prod_id` =  '1323' 
0.0002  

SELECT *
FROM (`authors`)
JOIN `products__authors` ON `authors`.`author_id` = `products__authors`.`author_id`
WHERE `products__authors`.`prod_id` =  '1323'
ORDER BY `sort` ASC 
0.0001  

SELECT `cat_id`
FROM (`product_categories__products`)
WHERE `prod_id` =  '1323' 
0.0001  

SELECT *
FROM (`product_flags__products`)
WHERE `prod_id` =  '1323' 
0.0001  

SELECT `sku`
FROM (`products__xsell`)
WHERE `prod_id` =  '1323'
ORDER BY IF(position = 0, 1, 0) ASC , `position` 
0.0144  

SELECT `products`.`parent_id`
FROM (`transaction_lines`)
JOIN `products` ON `products`.`sku` = `transaction_lines`.`sku`
JOIN `product_categories__products` ON `products`.`parent_id` = `product_categories__products`.`prod_id`
WHERE `products`.`avail_id` =  'A'
AND TO_DAYS(transaction_lines.updated_at) < (TO_DAYS(NOW()) - 90)
AND `product_categories__products`.`cat_id` IN ('243') 
GROUP BY `products`.`parent_id`
ORDER BY COUNT(*) DESC
LIMIT 6 
0.0002  

SELECT `parent_id`
FROM (`products`)
WHERE `prod_id` =  '3379' 
0.0002  

SELECT *
FROM (`products`)
WHERE `products`.`prod_id` =  '3379' 
0.0004  

SELECT *
FROM (`authors`)
JOIN `products__authors` ON `authors`.`author_id` = `products__authors`.`author_id`
WHERE `products__authors`.`prod_id` =  '3379'
ORDER BY `sort` ASC 
0.0002  

SELECT `parent_id`
FROM (`products`)
WHERE `prod_id` =  '3385' 
0.0002  

SELECT *
FROM (`products`)
WHERE `products`.`prod_id` =  '3385' 
0.0003  

SELECT *
FROM (`authors`)
JOIN `products__authors` ON `authors`.`author_id` = `products__authors`.`author_id`
WHERE `products__authors`.`prod_id` =  '3385'
ORDER BY `sort` ASC 
0.0001  

SELECT `parent_id`
FROM (`products`)
WHERE `prod_id` =  '3991' 
0.0001  

SELECT *
FROM (`products`)
WHERE `products`.`prod_id` =  '3991' 
0.0002  

SELECT *
FROM (`authors`)
JOIN `products__authors` ON `authors`.`author_id` = `products__authors`.`author_id`
WHERE `products__authors`.`prod_id` =  '3991'
ORDER BY `sort` ASC 
0.0002  

SELECT `parent_id`
FROM (`products`)
WHERE `prod_id` =  '4261' 
0.0001  

SELECT *
FROM (`products`)
WHERE `products`.`prod_id` =  '4261' 
0.0002  

SELECT *
FROM (`authors`)
JOIN `products__authors` ON `authors`.`author_id` = `products__authors`.`author_id`
WHERE `products__authors`.`prod_id` =  '4261'
ORDER BY `sort` ASC 
0.0001  

SELECT `parent_id`
FROM (`products`)
WHERE `prod_id` =  '1505' 
0.0001  

SELECT *
FROM (`products`)
WHERE `products`.`prod_id` =  '1505' 
0.0002  

SELECT *
FROM (`authors`)
JOIN `products__authors` ON `authors`.`author_id` = `products__authors`.`author_id`
WHERE `products__authors`.`prod_id` =  '1505'
ORDER BY `sort` ASC 
0.0002  

SELECT `parent_id`
FROM (`products`)
WHERE `prod_id` =  '33' 
0.0002  

SELECT *
FROM (`products`)
WHERE `products`.`prod_id` =  '33' 
0.0003  

SELECT *
FROM (`authors`)
JOIN `products__authors` ON `authors`.`author_id` = `products__authors`.`author_id`
WHERE `products__authors`.`prod_id` =  '33'
ORDER BY `sort` ASC 
0.0003  

SELECT SQL_CALC_FOUND_ROWS media_id, position
FROM (`media`)
WHERE `foreign_key_table` =  'products'
AND `foreign_key_column` =  'prod_id'
AND `foreign_key_value` =  '1323'
AND `kind` =  'image_600x600'
ORDER BY IF(position = 0, 1, 0) ASC , `position` 
0.0002  

SELECT *
FROM (`media`)
WHERE `media`.`media_id` =  '647' 
0.0001  

SELECT *
FROM (`mime_types`)
WHERE `mime_types`.`extension` =  'jpg' 
0.0001  

SELECT *
FROM (`media_metadata`)
WHERE `media_id` =  '647' 
0.0002  

SELECT SQL_CALC_FOUND_ROWS media_id, position
FROM (`media`)
WHERE `foreign_key_table` =  'products'
AND `foreign_key_column` =  'prod_id'
AND `foreign_key_value` =  '1323'
AND `kind` =  'gallery_image'
ORDER BY IF(position = 0, 1, 0) ASC , `position` 
0.0002  

SELECT *
FROM (`products`)
WHERE `avail_id` IN ('A', 'B', 'C', 'H') 
AND `parent_id` =  '1323'
AND `type_id` =  'V'
ORDER BY IF(position = 0, 1, 0) ASC , `position`, `title` 
0.0001  

SELECT `c`.`format_id`, `c`.`price`, `c`.`sale_price`
FROM (`products` AS c)
WHERE `c`.`prod_id` =  '1324'
LIMIT 1 
0.0002  

SELECT SQL_CALC_FOUND_ROWS media_id, position
FROM (`media`)
WHERE `foreign_key_table` =  'products'
AND `foreign_key_column` =  'prod_id'
AND `foreign_key_value` =  '1324'
AND `kind` =  'thumbnail'
ORDER BY IF(position = 0, 1, 0) ASC , `position` 
0.0002  

SELECT `product_categories__products`.`cat_id`
FROM (`product_categories__products`)
JOIN `product_categories` ON `product_categories__products`.`cat_id` = `product_categories`.`cat_id`
WHERE `product_categories__products`.`prod_id` =  '1323'
AND `product_categories`.`parent_id` =  1
AND `product_categories__products`.`cat_id` NOT IN (1, 261)  
0.0004  

SELECT `cat_id` AS id, `parent_id` AS parent, `status_id`, `name`, `description`, `url_friendly`, `page_title`, `meta_keywords`, `meta_description`, `position`, `updated_at`
FROM (`product_categories`)
WHERE `cat_id` != 1
ORDER BY `parent_id`, IF(position = 0, 1, 0) ASC , `position`, `name` 
0.0003  

SELECT *
FROM (`product_categories`)
WHERE `status_id` =  'A'
AND `parent_id` =  1
AND `cat_id` NOT IN (1, 261) 
ORDER BY `name` 
0.0001  

SELECT *
FROM (`site_settings`)
WHERE `option_key` =  'announcement' 
  HTTP HEADERS  (Show)
  SESSION DATA  (Show)
  CONFIG VARIABLES  (Show)