In this series, we’ve talked about the fundamental changes on the horizon for your IT departments, and we’ve talked about why the ability to weave your solutions together into a single fabric – enterprise architecture – will be the most important function of your IT department moving forward. Now let’s talk about the role Cloud computing will play in IT in the coming years.

We’ll refer back to the list from the first post again:

1. Define the enterprise architecture – how the systems fit together to provide the business solutions that the business units demand,
2. Manage the delivery of code for specific software packages – as part of cross-functional business/IT teams that will be run by the delivery managers situated within business units, and
3. Provide system and infrastructure support for those solutions that are developed.

Let’s refer back to the list we included in the first post in this series:

1. Define the enterprise architecture – how the systems fit together to provide the business solutions that the business units demand,
2. Manage the delivery of code for specific software packages – as part of cross-functional business/IT teams that will be run by the delivery managers situated within business units, and
3. Provide system and infrastructure support for those solutions that are developed.

If you’re a critical reader, you probably noted that the last two items in the list above can be outsourced effectively, and you’re absolutely right. These services are commodities; they can be provided by outsourcers and generally don’t require specific industry vertical knowledge. That lies in stark contrast to number 1 in the list above, which is not something that can be outsourced… Why?

What roles does your IT organization play? Is that list of roles aligned with what its list of roles will be in 2015… or even 2013? The answer – more than likely – is no. Your IT organization will change rapidly in the next few years, and Cloud computing will be both an enabler for and a direct competitor to the IT department of the future.

This is the first in a three part series. First, we’ll talk about how IT organizations will change in the next five years… and why. Second, we’ll talk about the growing role of enterprise architecture and why it will become the central function of IT departments moving forward. Finally, we’ll talk about Cloud-based solutions… and why they can be both enablers for IT change and competitors to solutions offered by IT departments. First, let’s discuss how IT will change in the coming years.