Finance People Don't Understand Technology

from the well,-duh dept

You wouldn't think that we needed a study to point this out, but following last week's story predicting that CFOs were going to take a bigger role in determining IT purchases, we pointed out the fact that most CFOs don't understand enough about technology to be making those decisions. They only understand direct costs, and not the benefits (or hidden costs) of technology. So, just to prove the point, here's a new study pointing out the incredibly obvious fact that most CFOs do not understand the benefits or hidden costs of technology - and, thus, should not be making the final decision on buying (or not buying, as seems more likely) technology. Of course, the study was done by Unisys, who has a vested interest in routing IT purchasing away from a CFO who might kill a deal. However, the point is valid. What they're suggesting (and which we suggested in the original post) is that both sides need to be involved. You want people who understand both the benefits and the costs - and let them hash it out so that the company can make an informed decision to invest in technology that provides higher benefits than costs.