Business Case for IT (Score 1)

This is fairly simple stuff... You take a piece of Technology for Automating Bank Transactions (ie. Automatic Teller Machine). Let's say it took one person 2 Minutes to do a transaction (ignoring the cost of a paper-trail). If an ATM machine can do it in a micro-second it is almost irrelivant. The comparison in this case is Cost of Service against Quality of Service. Let's now assume that, to the Customer, the Percieved Quality is exactly the same through an ATM Machine. Now If the cost per transaction is less for an ATM machine than an "Over the counter" transaction it is simple - you use the ATM Machine. However you also need to remove the person(s) that got replaced, otherwise you destroy value. People have mentioned the Dot Com Boom. This is a bit of a side track around the whole value of it. If a project technology or otherwise doesn't have a good solid business case, it has a high chance of destroying value rather than creating it. The question around will IT continue to be around is an obvious Yes. However I hope that companies link more about their business cases before charging into value distroying initiatives.