0.000000 2.720000 Tech It From Me is an independent and solo-produced podcast. 2.720000 5.920000 Welcome to the Tech It From Me podcast, I'm Mike Madole. 5.920000 10.940000 I've been an IT since Dial Up was King, servers were physical, and your biggest fear was 10.940000 12.480000 the Y2K bug. 12.480000 17.840000 Today, it's all about cloud, AI, and cost-cutting. 17.840000 19.880000 So what happened in between? 19.880000 26.440000 Let's talk about the evolution of IT, and why the future may not include an IT department 26.440000 28.240000 after all. 28.240000 30.140000 This is Tech It From Me. 30.140000 31.440000 Let's go. 31.440000 33.680000 This is the Tech It From Me podcast. 33.680000 36.780000 So let's take things back to the mid-1990s. 36.780000 42.780000 When Windows 95 replaced DOS while, for most users anyway, Lotus Notes along with Word 42.780000 49.280000 Perfect were Enterprise grade, and Broadband was something only universities bragged about. 49.280000 52.120000 Word Perfect, who remembers reveal codes? 52.120000 56.880000 Anyway, I broke into IT thanks to a gentleman named Doug Thompson. 56.880000 57.880000 Doug had this vision. 57.880000 63.360000 He left the oil and gas sector in Western Canada to get into technology, which back then 63.360000 65.000000 was a bold move. 65.000000 70.640000 And honestly, he also gave me my shot at the very beginning of my career, him and a lady 70.640000 72.520000 named Roma. 72.520000 76.840000 My first real-world job was at New Horizons computer learning centers, where I started 76.840000 78.960000 teaching computer courses. 78.960000 82.320000 That was my gateway into the industry. 82.320000 85.880000 Everything forced me to understand technology deeply. 85.880000 90.880000 Not just how to use software, but how to explain it to people, how to troubleshoot it, and 90.880000 95.160000 think through their problems before they even ask the question. 95.160000 97.760000 From there, I made a move to a company called Shopplex. 97.760000 104.160000 A kind of online shopping mall before the phrase e-commerce platform was even common. 104.160000 105.880000 We had big dreams. 105.880000 112.280000 Shopplex later became Teal Hard Technologies, where we shifted to focus on the B2B space. 112.280000 118.920000 It was my first exposure to the .com startup world and everything that came with it. 118.920000 122.960000 High growth, high pressure, and high risk. 122.960000 128.000000 We had smart people, big ideas, and all the excitement you'd expect from a startup, trying 128.000000 131.000000 to ride the early internet wave. 131.000000 133.040000 And then, we crashed. 133.040000 138.280000 Just as quickly as it had taken off, Teal Hard folded a casualty of the .com bubble. 138.280000 143.360000 But you know what, it was one of the best learning experiences of my career. 143.360000 149.760000 I got a front row seat to what happens when technology and business strategy don't align. 149.760000 152.040000 Or when hype outpaces the value. 152.040000 159.080000 I was named in lawsuits, I met some very powerful people in government. 159.080000 162.960000 Back then, IT was all about technical heroism. 162.960000 165.600000 You were the wizard behind the screen. 165.600000 169.720000 People didn't know how their systems worked, they just knew they needed you. 169.720000 175.200000 If you could fix the printer, or remove a computer virus, or untangle in early networking 175.200000 178.040000 mess, you were a hero. 178.040000 182.480000 And I think that was a start of something powerful, the realization that technology was 182.480000 188.280000 going to become foundational, not optional, to how business operates. 188.280000 192.920000 So as we moved into the 2000s, the role of IT started the shift. 192.920000 199.320000 The days of floppies and fax machines gave way to active directory, exchange servers, and 199.320000 203.240000 the explosion of enterprise software. 203.240000 206.320000 This was the era when IT departments matured. 206.320000 213.160000 We started seeing real structure, defined roles, service desks, project management offices. 213.160000 215.400000 We weren't just the computer guys anymore. 215.400000 218.040000 We were becoming partners to the business. 218.040000 224.360000 I remember being in a thick of it, doing desktop support one week, managing application, upgrades 224.360000 229.400000 the next, and moon lighting as a server in when no one else was around. 229.400000 234.000000 You had to know everything from group policy to ghost imaging. 234.000000 238.560000 And if something went wrong with the email server, well, that was your Saturday. 238.560000 241.480000 But there was a subtle important change happening. 241.480000 246.080000 IT was no longer just reactive, fixing things when they broke. 246.080000 252.400000 We were being asked to help optimize, to make things better, not just functional. 252.400000 255.120000 That meant learning project management skills. 255.120000 259.320000 It meant mapping processes and documenting systems. 259.320000 263.960000 It meant attending department meetings and asking, so what are you really trying to solve 263.960000 264.960000 here? 264.960000 268.400000 Not just what button didn't work. 268.400000 273.880000 It was also around this time that ITIL started gaining traction, frameworks and best practices 273.880000 277.000000 to help us run IT like a service organization. 277.000000 281.000000 SLA's incident categories changed control. 281.000000 282.480000 Some teams embraced it. 282.480000 287.680000 Others just rolled their eyes, but either way, it marked a new maturity level. 287.680000 293.080000 This was also the rise of the PMO or the project management office. 293.080000 295.720000 And IT was right at the heart of it. 295.720000 298.240000 We weren't just keeping the lights on anymore. 298.240000 305.920000 We're helping build new capabilities, CRM systems, ERP upgrades, new e-commerce platforms. 305.920000 309.120000 We started speaking a language of the business. 309.120000 313.560000 And for those of us who leaned into that, it opened doors. 313.560000 318.080000 I began to understand that technical ability was no longer enough. 318.080000 322.680000 If you couldn't connect the dots between what the business wanted and how the technology 322.680000 326.320000 worked, you'd be left behind. 326.320000 333.320000 And that shift from support to strategy was the beginning of what I now see as a multi-decade 333.320000 334.920000 evolution. 334.920000 338.200000 One that's still happening today. 338.200000 344.840000 If the 2000s were about structure and maturity, the 2010s kicked off a different kind of shift. 344.840000 348.680000 One that changed the very identity of the IT department. 348.680000 357.000000 So let's talk about the rise of cloud, mobility and outsourcing, three forces that reshaped everything. 357.000000 362.240000 When cloud computing came on the scene, it didn't just change where our servers lived. 362.240000 365.680000 It changed how we thought about IT. 365.680000 370.960000 Instead of racking hardware and patching physical boxes, we started spinning up virtual machines 370.960000 372.880000 on demand. 372.880000 379.800000 Instead of managing exchange and SharePoint in-house, we migrated to Office 365. 379.800000 386.720000 Instead of maintaining expensive, aging ERP systems, we looked to SaaS-based solutions. 386.720000 395.360000 IT's role began to shift from builders to brokers, from hands-on doers to vendor managers. 395.360000 397.880000 And with that came a new kind of complexity. 397.880000 400.840000 Yeah, things were easier in some ways. 400.840000 405.080000 No more surprise hardware failures or chasing backup tapes. 405.080000 411.840000 But now we were managing contracts, SLA's, data residency concerns and security risks 411.840000 414.680000 we couldn't physically see. 414.680000 415.680000 And mobility? 415.680000 418.120000 Well, that added a whole new layer. 418.120000 422.560000 Suddenly, users expected to access everything from anywhere. 422.560000 426.600000 Their phone, their iPads, their laptop at the cottage. 426.600000 431.560000 The firewall wasn't the perimeter anymore, identity was. 431.560000 434.400000 And at the same time, something else was happening. 434.400000 437.960000 The cost conversation was taking center stage. 437.960000 444.640000 As cloud tools became more plug-and-play, business leaders started asking, "Do we really need 444.640000 448.080000 a full in-house IT team?" 448.080000 450.080000 Enter outsourcing. 450.080000 456.520000 And not just for specialized services, but for core functions, the help desk, infrastructure, 456.520000 463.440000 application support, shipped off to managed service providers or overseas support centers. 463.440000 466.760000 And listen, there are pros and cons here. 466.760000 469.680000 Outsourcing can absolutely be cost effective. 469.680000 474.400000 It can extend capabilities that a small internal team just can't provide. 474.400000 480.080000 But what I started to see, and still see today, is that the shift often comes at the cost 480.080000 485.240000 of quality, speed, and organizational understanding. 485.240000 487.960000 IT becomes transactional. 487.960000 490.880000 It's not about solving problems creatively. 490.880000 497.720000 It's about minimizing tickets, following scripts, and meeting contractual response times. 497.720000 499.800000 You lose the context. 499.800000 502.720000 The "why" behind a request. 502.720000 507.800000 The ability to look around the corner and say, "Hey, we should automate this, or this 507.800000 511.120000 could be a risk next corner." 511.120000 517.880000 What this era did, and still does in a lot of organizations, is move IT from being a strategic 517.880000 521.080000 partner to a cost center. 521.080000 527.260000 We're judged not by how we enable innovation, but by how we reduce expenses. 527.260000 530.160000 And in my opinion, that's a dangerous path. 530.160000 536.840000 Because when IT is only seen as an overhead function, the long-term risk increases. 536.840000 539.120000 Technical debt can pile up. 539.120000 541.320000 And could slow down. 541.320000 544.160000 Security potentially could be compromised. 544.160000 549.360000 And employees get frustrated when tools don't work, or they don't evolve. 549.360000 554.200000 Personally, this was the era where I started a shift into leadership roles, and where I 554.200000 559.400000 saw firsthand how important it was to balance cost with capability. 559.400000 564.040000 Yes, you can save money by outsourcing or cutting staff. 564.040000 568.640000 But if you lose the ability to adapt, you'll pay for it somewhere else. 568.640000 576.000000 In efficiency, in security, or simply in customer or your employee's experience. 576.000000 580.120000 So now we're in the thick of things, the era of AI. 580.120000 583.920000 Or as I prefer to call it, augmented intelligence. 583.920000 589.240000 Because when I look at how AI is being positioned in organizations today, there's a fundamental 589.240000 591.160000 misunderstanding. 591.160000 593.360000 People think it's about replacement. 593.360000 596.360000 I see it as about enhancement. 596.360000 603.240000 AI in its many forms has started to reshape how IT departments think and operate. 603.240000 608.500000 We're seeing tools today that write scripts and code in literal seconds. 608.500000 611.800000 They can summarize documentation and meeting notes. 611.800000 617.880000 They detect anomalies in networks or security events before a human even logs in. 617.880000 622.680000 They power chatbots, service desks, workflows. 622.680000 626.520000 They're automating what used to be tedious manual work. 626.520000 631.600000 But the truth is AI is only as smart as the business using it. 631.600000 637.440000 And right now, a lot of companies don't actually know how to implement it effectively. 637.440000 642.840000 They buy licenses, slap on a chatbot, or integrate a generative text tool, but there's 642.840000 648.120000 no process design, no change management, no business alignment. 648.120000 653.640000 They're using AI like a new toy, not a new tool kit. 653.640000 657.640000 Some worry that AI is here to replace IT departments. 657.640000 660.240000 I don't simply buy it. 660.240000 663.400000 AI can write code, but it can't gather requirements. 663.400000 670.440000 It can't understand organizational politics or prioritize what users really need. 670.440000 676.560000 AI can answer a helpdesk ticket, but it can't redesign the service model or improve cross-functional 676.560000 678.320000 workflows. 678.320000 685.440000 It can't anticipate the real reason why things are breaking, at least not yet anyway. 685.440000 692.360000 What AI can do and should do is amplify the efforts of smart experienced people. 692.360000 699.760000 Take the repetitive tasks off their plates, speed up the analysis, provide better options. 699.760000 702.520000 It's not about eliminating the IT department. 702.520000 705.680000 It's truly about elevating it. 705.680000 707.280000 So here's what I think. 707.280000 713.520000 In this era of augmented intelligence, IT shouldn't just be the technical implementer. 713.520000 717.920000 It should be the educator, the curator, the translator. 717.920000 723.720000 The ones helping the business make sense of what AI can actually do and what it can't. 723.720000 729.960000 The ones building secure, ethical, maintainable frameworks for automation and intelligence. 729.960000 735.680000 The ones raising the flag when move fast and break things turns into move fast and break 735.680000 737.360000 trust. 737.360000 739.400000 Because the stakes are higher now. 739.400000 742.000000 We're not just automating spreadsheets. 742.000000 748.420000 We're influencing decisions, communications, and user experiences at scale. 748.420000 755.240000 So yeah, I don't call it artificial intelligence because it's not about replacing us. 755.240000 762.220000 It's about partnering with us, augmenting what we do, not eliminating who we are. 762.220000 767.920000 So coming up next, let's talk about the risks of deprioritizing IT and how some companies 767.920000 773.120000 are setting themselves out for long-term failure by chasing short-term cost savings. 773.120000 778.000000 Now not everywhere and not always intentionally, but I've seen this pattern again and again 778.000000 784.520000 where IT is treated not as a driver of value, but as a line item to be minimized. 784.520000 789.480000 In boardrooms, the conversation used to be, how can IT help us grow? 789.480000 793.040000 Now more often than not, it's, can we do this any cheaper? 793.040000 798.440000 The push towards managed services, outsourced help desks, offshore development, it's all 798.440000 801.920000 rooted in that desire to drive down cost. 801.920000 804.320000 And sure, cost control matters. 804.320000 807.320000 No organization has an infinite budget. 807.320000 812.960000 But when cost becomes the only metric for IT performance, you end up with very fragile 812.960000 818.680000 systems, slow responses, and ultimately frustrated users. 818.680000 820.800000 You lose institutional knowledge. 820.800000 825.480000 You lose the people who know why the ERP was configured that way. 825.480000 831.040000 You lose the ability to connect tech decisions with business impact. 831.040000 835.520000 The irony is, great IT often goes unnoticed. 835.520000 840.720000 If everything is running smoothly, no one stops to think about the team making it happen, 840.720000 845.600000 until something breaks, of course, or a ransomware attack hits. 845.600000 851.000000 Until the vendor you outsource to drops the ball and now you've got to untangle a multi-system 851.000000 856.040000 outage, with no one in-house who truly understands the stack. 856.040000 860.800000 IT doesn't just support the business, it is the business infrastructure. 860.800000 866.560000 When you weaken it, the whole company will feel it, even if the symptoms show up later. 866.560000 872.000000 You've worked with and inside organizations where IT was viewed as a cost center. 872.000000 873.920000 And here's what I saw. 873.920000 878.840000 Projects stalled because no one in IT had time to engage deeply. 878.840000 882.640000 Users developed workarounds because systems were too rigid. 882.640000 887.520000 Shadow IT exploded because departments lost faith in the process. 887.520000 891.440000 And innovation, well, it just died on the vine. 891.440000 899.240000 All because IT wasn't included early, empowered properly, or respected as a business partner. 899.240000 903.480000 When you de-prioritize IT, you don't just slow down technology. 903.480000 906.720000 You slow down the entire business. 906.720000 909.200000 So where does all of this leave us? 909.200000 915.960000 We've gone from CRT monitors and tape backups to cloud, mobile, and machine learning. 915.960000 923.320000 From being the wizards who fixed broken printers to being the brokers of global IT ecosystems. 923.320000 925.480000 And here's what I think. 925.480000 931.440000 The future of IT isn't about scaling back, it's about scaling smart. 931.440000 936.040000 I don't think we'll go back to the giant IT departments of the past, but I don't think 936.040000 938.120000 they're going to disappear either. 938.120000 941.760000 Instead, I see a hybrid model emerging. 941.760000 947.480000 First, strategic internal IT teams focused on business enablement. 947.480000 952.320000 Deep integration with AI tools and automation platforms. 952.320000 957.640000 Strong partnerships with vendors, but ownership and accountability kept in-house. 957.640000 963.160000 The most successful organizations will be the ones that treat IT, not just as a utility, 963.160000 964.960000 but as a force multiplier. 964.960000 970.800000 A team that can bridge the gap between business needs and technical possibility. 970.800000 976.800000 They'll use augmented intelligence not to cut heads, but to boost capability. 976.800000 983.320000 And they'll free up smart people from mundane tasks and let them focus on creating value. 983.320000 988.800000 If you're building a career in IT now or trying to stay relevant in a changing landscape, 988.800000 991.000000 here's my advice. 991.000000 999.240000 Don't just learn tools, learn context, understand why the business needs what it needs. 999.240000 1005.080000 Open communication skills, technology is only useful if you can explain it, defend it, 1005.080000 1007.160000 and align it. 1007.160000 1009.000000 Lean into change. 1009.000000 1015.360000 The tech stack is going to evolve, but your ability to adapt is your superpower. 1015.360000 1018.600000 And above all, always be curious. 1018.600000 1022.760000 Ask why, ask what's next. 1022.760000 1027.680000 Stay in learning mode always, because here's the thing. 1027.680000 1034.480000 We will keep evolving, but the need for smart, human-centered problem solvers, that's never 1034.480000 1036.600000 going to go out of style. 1036.600000 1043.000000 From the black and white blinking cursor of my first Texas Instruments TI-99/4A to today's 1043.000000 1048.760000 world of LLMs and zero trust, it's been quite a journey. 1048.760000 1053.120000 And if there's one constant in the evolution of IT, it's this. 1053.120000 1055.000000 We adapt. 1055.000000 1056.760000 The tools change. 1056.760000 1062.940000 The org charts shift, the budgets shrink and grow, but IT is always there, keeping the 1062.940000 1067.960000 lights on, solving the tough problems and moving the business forward. 1067.960000 1071.920000 Thanks for joining me today on the Tech It From Me podcast. 1071.920000 1076.540000 If you liked this episode, consider sharing it with a colleague, a mentor, or anyone who's 1076.540000 1079.480000 lived through a few tech cycles of their own. 1079.480000 1084.080000 And if you haven't already, please subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 1084.080000 1085.880000 listen. 1085.880000 1092.040000 Stay curious, stay sharp, and I'll catch you in the next one.