Nicholas Carr

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Does IT Matter? Information Technology and the Corrosion of Competitive Advantage

A bold and controversial manifesto on where information technology is headed, how its role in business strategy will dramatically change, and what this all means for business managers and IT suppliers. Does IT Matter provides the first cogent explanation of IT’s dramatically changing business role, its levelling influence on competition, and the practical implications for business managers and IT suppliers. A convincing manifesto on one of the most important business phenomena of our time, “Does IT Matter?” will play a central role in our ongoing debate about the future of IT.

The Big Switch: Rewiring the World, from Edison to Google

An eye-opening look at the new computer revolution and the coming transformation of our economy, society, and culture. A hundred years ago, companies stopped producing their own power with steam engines and generators and plugged into the newly built electric grid. The cheap power pumped out by electric utilities not only changed how businesses operated but also brought the modern world into existence. Today a similar revolution is under way. Companies are dismantling their private computer systems and tapping into rich services delivered over the Internet. This time it’s computing that’s turning into a utility. The shift is already remaking the computer industry, bringing new competitors like Google to the fore and threatening traditional stalwarts like Microsoft and Dell. But the effects will reach much further. Cheap computing will ultimately change society as profoundly as cheap electricity did. In this lucid and compelling book, Nicholas Carr weaves together history, economics, and technology to explain why computing is changing—and what it means for all of us.