I recently heard a fascinating podcast on Tech Nation with Dr. Kari Stefansson, CEO of deCODE genetics. deCODE studies genetic variants to understand what makes some individuals more susceptible to diseases than others.

In this podcast he described a genetic variant that raised the production of an enzyme called LTA4H. This enzyme modulates inflammation; that is, it helps increase inflammation. Deep in antediluvian times, this enzyme helped protect people from infections.

Today, however, due to our much longer lifespans, the ability to raise inflammation levels is actually dangerous, since it can lead to atherosclerotic plaques breaking free from blood vessels and thereby cause heart attacks.

In other words, this genetic capability originally conferred an advantage in life, but today, when we can control infections in other ways and therefore live much longer, this formerly helpful solution actually poses a danger to our lives.

This is a metaphor for so many IT infrastructures extant today. Systems installed years ago to help run the business better now are aging, inflexible, unmaintainable, and an enormous hindrance to responding to changing business conditions.

deCODE is researching medical  treatments for these kinds of genetic variants. IT organizations, on the other hand, are incredibly reluctant to modify existing infrastructure.

One has only to look at the burgeoning SOA movement. IT organizations are busily wrapping legacy applications to extend their lives. If you look at this movement from one perspective, it is using a new technology to increase infrastructure flexibility -- a smart, financially responsible technical investment.

From another perspective, SOA is like putting lipstick on a pig. It pretties up the pig, but the pig still wallows around in the mud, bloated and grunting (please, no emails from anyone extolling the noble nature of hogs).

Why is it the medical establishment is working on ways to respond to the ultimate in inflexibility -- our DNA, but IT organizations are too frightened to do anything but patch up hamstrung systems?

Keeping these aging, limited functionality, unchangeable systems running is a disservice to the company. In fact, they can actually handicap a company's ability to respond to changing business conditions.

Nicholas Carr, in his infamous book Does IT Matter?, recounted the story of a pharmaceutical company that gained an enormous competitive advantage by placing drug ordering systems in pharmacies. Because it was easier to

You do not have flash or javascript support.

Average (2 votes)

Reply