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There is a left hand and a right; both are essential to the good functioning of the corporeal whole and yet, there is a gap. There is the business and its functioning elements and then there is the network and IT, both functioning elements; but there is a gap. I am concerned about this gap and while it is not a rip in the fabric of time, it has the potential to build up or bring down. This is not my first reference to this gap: this void, this disconnect between the IT function and its organisational parent.

Much is said about data generation but much less about the huge amount and richness of diagnostic data existing within our networks. Such data when viewed by a networking professional is meaningful in a certain and specific way. A way that is technology led. On the other hand, such data is meaningless to an organisational or business manager and there it is again - that gap. In this particular example, it is not the acquisition or understanding of that data that is the challenge, but rather its application to a given operational or business situation. Synthesising such information in a way that predicts a critical business failure is much more important than identifying the source of a failure once occurred. This takes technical knowledge, analytical skills beyond technology, a critical understanding of the organisational big picture and the ability to predict the user and customer level impact. In short, the binding of detailed technical knowledge and organisational objectives in a way that helps and adds value.

Such a synthesis may militate to avoid hardware failure or impede a cyber-attack in the nick of time. However, the right tool for the job is half the challenge; the other half is a rare and hybrid skills profile. Such a complex skills profile will bring riches to the individual and the organisation that employs them. For the gap to be narrowed - the most we can currently hope for - networking and IT professionals must speak fluent business to the extent that Harry Potter does Parseltongue. They need to understand, specifically for their organisation, exactly how important each piece of network and diagnostic data is to the aims, ambitions and progress of the organisation. NC

Ray Smyth - Editor, Network Computing
Ray.Smyth@BTC.CO.UK | https://twitter.com/ItsRay