ICT Providers: A Relevant Topic for Business and Information Systems Engineering?

Business and information systems engineering traditionally deals with the use of information and communication technologies in companies. The main focus is on the content-related design of business application systems in companies as well as on the ICS/ICT management in companies. The established range of topics includes ERP and SCM systems, business concepts built thereon and adequate development procedures as well as questions regarding the alignment between ICT and a company, IT architecture management or comprehensive questions of the ICT strategy. On the basis of this orientation business and information systems engineering has been widely established as an academic subject, particularly in German-speaking countries. A slow but steady reduction in the production intensity of IT can be observed in the applying companies. Cloud computing has intensified this trend even further. An ICT industry making a global turnover of approx. $ 2,700 bn has emerged at the same time. This industry has produced a number of exciting companies ranging from IBM, Microsoft, SAP and Apple to Tata as well as innumerable small companies. So far, business and information systems engineering has dealt with these companies rather occasionally, for example when they are spin-offs of former ICT departments. This raises the question whether it should be like that in the future. The observation that the number of “trained” business and information systems engineers starting their own business or being a member of the board of directors of an ICT company is still quite small makes this question seem even more urgent. This gives rise to the question as to how appealing the university subject business and information systems engineering is to freshers. There are some arguments which speak for opening up business and information systems engineering to ICT providers. Compared to traditional business administration, business and information systems engineering could contribute specific technological knowledge and understanding of ICT applications for users. Previous achievements as to the efficient software development or the management of data processing centers would also be useful. On the other hand, business and information systems engineering would have to open up to completely new subject areas, such as the pricing process for network services or growth strategies of software companies, and give up some well-established theoretical paths, such as putting a strong focus on the information system as a conceptual point of reference. All these aspects have to be considered with regard to the added value of this subject as a research area, its appeal as a major or minor subject and, thus, with regard to the impact on companies and government sponsors. We asked the following experts from the field of science and daily business to give their opinion (the experts’ names are listed in alphabetical order): – Prof. Dr. Peter Buxmann, TU Darmstadt, Fachgebiet Software Business and Information Management – Prof. Dr. Ulrich Frank, Universitat Duisburg-Essen, Lehrstuhl fur Wirtschaftsinformatik und Unternehmensmodellierung – Jurgen Gallmann, Cumulus Ventures GmbH, Feldafing bei Munchen – Prof. Dr. Martin Gersch, FU Berlin, Department Business Information Systems – Prof. Dr. Rudiger Zarnekow und Dr. Koray Erek, TU Berlin, Lehrstuhl fur Informationsund Kommunikationsmanagement – Prof. Dr. Peter Zencke, Julius-Maximilians-Universitat Wurzburg, Lehrstuhl fur BWL und Wirtschaftsinformatik Peter Zencke thinks that corporate IT is on its way to become an operator and integrator of purchased platforms and he deduces that it is necessary to open up business and information systems engineering to ICT providers. In particular he emphasizes the increasing importance of the service business to providers. Jurgen Gallmann is of the opinion that today’s (strong) focus of the business and information systems engineering courses on the users is one of the reasons for the moderate importance of German ICT providers in the world market. He recommends opening up the courses to the needs of ICT providers more extensively, particularly emphasizing the aspects distribution and marketing.