A relative of mine called me earlier this week because she couldn't access any web pages. She had already called her ISP multiple times, but got no assistance. After a few minutes of testing and checking her configuration, I had figured out it was a DNS server issue. Changing to Google's free DNS servers fixed the issue.
As is usually the case, she said, "you're a wizard!" to which I have no real answer. My initial thought was, "no big deal" - pretty standard for someone who works in IT. Then I started to consider how difficult it is to truly adopt the perspective of someone who hasn't spent the past X years in technology - it's too easy to assume that people understand what to do when confronted with a seemingly basic problem.
Why bring this up? Because at the same time, a hot topic is how IT people are increasingly not needed for basic support and need to adopt new higher-value roles. Another is the consumerization of IT, driven by continuing developments in cloud computing. But does the chatter around these topics obscure a widening gap between people who can support themselves and get connected to all these services, and those who cannot? And if so, how to close that gap?
The usual response, which I tend to agree with, is education. Technology is scary to many people, and the first response to the unfamiliar is to freeze up or retreat. Making the unfamiliar and scary less so for customers allows them to re-process what they are dealing with and come up with ways to fit that technology into their business practices.
A blinding flash of the obvious, right? Well, yes, but only in concept. Execution is a whole different matter. To its credit, IT does often include some sort of communication and training plan in any large-scale project or rollout. But what is in the plan? Sending emails, creating web pages, maybe some opt-in training. And while these make offer a wealth of information, they are no substitute for open forums, one-on-one meetings, and required (or at least well-incentivized) hands-on training.
Yes, these are expensive. They take up a lot of time, and need strong leadership to pull off. As the head of an IT organization, I spend a significant amount of time doing just that - conversing with my customers, listening to their concerns, and helping them adjust to new tools. In environments influenced by fear of change, the result (productivity and comfort with changing technologies) is well worth the investment.
