Rating: 
Summary: Well worth reading
Review: I'm not a technologist and have no particularly strong feelings about information technology one way or the other. In my own experience, computers have good points and bad points. The reason I bought this book in the first place is because I read an interesting review of it in the New York Times. Now having read the book itself, I can say that I think it's really as much about how competition and strategy as about information technology per se. It's a very illuminating and thought-provoking book. It weaves together discussions of history, economics, and technology in an engaging way. The discussion gets complicated at times but it's always clearly written, even when the author's describing fairly esoteric aspects of software production. Unlike just about every other business book I've read, there's little jargon and few wasted words. It moves fast and covers a lot of ground. The book ends with a broader discussion of some of the the social and political consequences of computerization, which is also fascinating. So I can't say whether all Carr's recommendations are valid or not, and I guess that doesn't really matter to me. I enjoyed the book, and I learned a lot from it. I'd recommend it to anyone with an interest in business or business history.
Rating: 
Summary: Nothing new & no clear prescription
Review: If possible I'd award 3.5 stars. There is value in the book, which has two main levels:
(1) makes a case for the deplorable state of IT as a business enabler
(2) claims IT is now viewed as a commodityIn (1) what Carr has to say is true and has been for as long as I've been in the profession, which is over 25 years. Carr's contentions parallel my experience on this level. When I started out we "MIS" professionals were the priests and priestesses who worked our magic in glass rooms. We were merely arrogant then. Life was simpler and some vendors worked closely with us. IBM, which is my main background, had a reputation for never letting their customers fail. That is not to say that their recommendations and solutions always translated into business value for their customers, but rarely did they result in disasters either. As time went on though MIS became IS, then IT. Systems grew more complex, proprietary systems gave way to interoperability, then open systems, and new vendors started arriving in droves. Innovation fanned the flames of complexity, and IT remained arrogant, but began focusing so much on the technology (and trying to keep up with it) that they lost sight of business needs. Methods devolved into chaos and the chasm between IT and the business widened to the point where IT was in some cases counter-productive to business needs. On the second level, where Carr claims that IT is now viewed as a commodity, is where this book gets interesting. In many areas that has been going on for over a decade. Mass storage systems are measured in pennies per MB, powerful desktop systems are priced in the same range as consumer entertainment electronics, and certain classes of applications software are bargains. Further, the open source movement is changing the dynamics as I write this review, which may one day render much software as a commodity. What Carr does not do is give clear advice about how to deal with problems and new dynamics that have roots in the distant past. The status quo is clearly and accurately documented in this book, but the prescription is vague. That is where this book falls short. The main value of this book is as stated by others: use it as a mirror if you work in IT. Perhaps a few brave souls with leadership skills will start changes in the profession that will have a ripple effect. Especially if those brave souls work for large enterprises and get sufficient press for their successes. At the very least the CxOs who may stumble across this book may see their own IT organization in the descriptions Carr gives and decide to do something about it. I would also hope that those who work on the vendor and product development side take a few hints from this book and craft their technology innovations into actionable solutions that will get IT back on track. It can be done, especially if the ingenuity those vendors exhibit in technology innovation can be extended to bundled products that also contain innovative solutions and consulting. One final comment: a colleague distinguished between intellectual capital and task-oriented work performed by IT. Obviously the task-oriented work is a commodity, and with some analysis can be identified and outsourced. That is a step towards getting IT back on track and delivering value to business. There are other such ideas hiding in this book if one reads it with an open and inquiring mind.
Rating:
Summary: IT as a Commodity
Review: Information Technology (IT) has transformed itself from a source of competitive advantage to simply being a cost of doing business.
Despite the spectacular gains during the past 50 years, says Nicholas G. Carr, a former Harvard Business Review executive editor, IT will distinguish no single competitor. This contradicts many executives' perception that IT ubiquity is an advantage. They miss the point the scarcity, not ubiquity, creates an advantage.
IT's core functions - the storage, distribution and processing of data - are available to all. Without differentiation IT is relegated to commodity status. This should force executives to re-think their IT spending plans and their vendor relationships. As this perception gains acceptance, risk and cost control will become more important than investments in innovation. In short, technology is headed down the same path the steam engine, railroad and electricity followed. Only by becoming a shared and standardized resource will IT deliver its maximum social and economic potential.
Carr says the greatest risk that IT represents is overspending. While IT is entwined with many business processes and represents a huge portion of any businesses' expenses, it must be managed. There are several ways:
1. Cut waste. Commoditization permits buyers to negotiate better deals, tie payments to usage and shop among vendors.
2. Use Capacity. The overspending in the 1990 left many companies with more capacity than they need. Find ways to use it.
3. Place tight controls on IT usage. Carr says 70 percent of what is stored on corporate networks represents employees' saved e-mails, MP3s, video clips and spam. Restrict the indiscriminate ability to save files.
4. Become more rigorous in systems planning.
Carr is a distinguished writer and thinker. His book serves as a wake-up call for anyone interested in competitive advantage. Although executives have grown wary of IT spending, they will have to cope with methods that will prevent the commoditization of IT architecture and applications if they are to save their companies' barriers to entry.
Anyone - be he or she a business executive or IT worker - should give this tome a close examination. Its implications will be mighty.
Rating: 
Summary: Twisty language beguiles the easily amused
Review: It's star time. While filling in for a 'let go' editor of the Harvard Business Review (HBR), a business writer with no personal involvment or experience in IT uses prime-time pages of HBR to conjure up a British tabloid piece that raises him to IT stardom. Watch the movie, 'Being There' to catch what's going on with this follow-on book from the smash hit, "IT Doesn't Matter" in the May 2004 issue of HBR. Although a formula for business failure, this is a shoe-in for the Hype Award for Selling Books. Peter Sellers, ...and Chance the Gardener...take notes.
Klyde Hartler, Frankfurt, Germany
Rating:
Summary: A Landmark in IT Thinking
Review: Just reading through the reviews already posted here shows how big a stir Carr's ideas have caused. Because of vested interests or emotional ties, some people have a deep fear of any criticism of IT, and it blinds them to the reality of the situation. In my humble opinion, as someone who's worked in the IT field for nearly two decades, I think Carr has it exactly right. It's best to treat the technology as a fairly boring necessity - be frugal, buy standardised components, don't believe the hype. The book is carefully argued, and it makes for quite compelling reading. Ignore it at your own risk.
Rating:
Summary: Important for the the Debate it Started
Review: Nicholas Carr is, by all accounts, a decent writer. This book is very easy to read and can be consumed in a few hours of instense reading. This book expounds upon one of the most debated IT papers, from the Harvard Business Review, to have been written this century.
Carr's premise is that IT is becoming increasingly commoditized, and will eventually cease to provide a sustainable competitive advantage. Through a journey from the Industrial Revolution to the coming decades, Carr paints a very interesting portrait of the role of IT in today's business world.
The text itself has several flaws, not the least of which is that Carr's personal knowledge of IT should have limited his discourse on the subject to that of an article. He appears to be reaching, making inappropriate comparisons and completely ignoring several of the more complex (and costly) areas of IT research (e.g. user acceptance, integration of legacy systems). His narrow definition of "IT" as only hardware and off-the-shelf software (anyone who implies that visual tools automatically write all the code you need should immediately author such a tool) needs to realize that the bulk of IT spending is not on those two items.
This book should be read by all IT practitioners because many C-level executives truly believe that which it preaches. Without properly reading it and recognizing its effect on the industry and on spending, you may get caught without proper arguments during the next budget meeting.
Rating:
Summary: Does Enterprise Architecture Matter?
Review: Readers of this book should also read books on Enterprise Architecture as a solution to the concerns raised by the author.
Rating:
Summary: A different view of the computer revolution
Review: There has seemed to be a neverending flood of hype about computers for at least the last 20 years. Information technology (IT) is going to change everything, we've been told - from the way businesses operate to the way people live. Well, the flood ends here. Meticulously argued, well researched, and surprisingly lively, this short book dissects one computer myth after another. Most of it focuses on the business world, showing how IT is turning into another commonplace technology like electricity. There's an engaging historical review of how big technologies create big business changes early in their development, but then quickly turn into routine costs. It also provides practical advice for companies on how they should manage IT. It ends, though, with a broader examination of how we tend to get carried away with our dreams of big technological revolutions. It shows that in comparison with earlier technologies computers have had a fairly modest impact on society and commerce - and that some of the consequences have been less than positive. This book is a breath of fresh air.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting and Provocative
Review: This book is both provocative and interesting. Nick Carr has accomplished few writers/researchers in the IT field have done - that is make us think rather than blindly follow the standard party-line (IT investments create long-term strategic value -- just have faith and keep investing). Carr is simply presenting the obvious fact that segments of the IT industry are maturing and increasingly getting commoditized. Maturing markets have unique dynamics. Manufacturing automation went through this in the late 1980s. Computer hardware went through this in the late 1990s. IT Services is going through this right now. Commoditization of IT is clear in application development. Evidence of this can be seen in packaged and custom IT application development and maintenance where the rapid rise of onshore, nearshore and offshore IT outsourcing is becoming part of the corporate strategy landscape. I would argue that offshore outsourcing strategies being implemented at many corporations support Carr's thesis well. The book does an excellent job of presenting the macro issues. However this book falls short in presenting a case for action/implementation. There is high-level advice in chapter 6 but most of it is useless in the real-world day-to-day operations. What should CIOs do differently when they have millions committed in IT infrastructure projects? When do managers go for strategic projects or tactical projects with immediate payback? What should vendors do to adjust in market segments where they are competing on price and not features? The IT industry is clearly changing as customers evolve in their thinking. I am finding that executives everywhere are getting more and more skeptical about their internal IT projects. This book will certainly bolster their case and maybe drive them to either conduct more internal ROI analysis or completely outsource operations. Good work, Carr! Dr. Ravi Kalakota
Author of Offshore Outsourcing ::: Business Models, ROI and Best Practices
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant examination of computers' role in business
Review: This is a fascinating book, and it's sure to be widely talked about and debated. I read Carr's famous article in the Harvard Business Review, and this book expands on the ideas in the article but also goes well beyond it to describe the historical precedents for information technology, the evolution of IT's role in business, the practical new imperatives for IT investment and management, and broader questions about IT's influence over productivity, profit, business strategy, and society. I especially liked Carr's discussion of the forces that drive computer hardware and software to rapidly become commodities - it really made me see the technology in a new way. The book has lots of interesting examples, and it's very clearly written. It's going to cause a stir.
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