From Savior To Scapegoat: How IT Can Regain Its Business Hero Status
Elise London is the CTO of Lakeside Software, where she oversees the design and delivery of its digital employee experience platform.
Picture this: It's 2004. MySpace had just hit a million users. Mark Zuckerberg and his Harvard roommates launched Facebook. The Nintendo DS had just been released with two screens—mindblowing. I was wrapping up college and working part-time at a hospital IT help desk, a job that I loved. Why? Because back then, those of us in IT were seen as saviors.
Here's how that story went. When an employee had a problem, an IT person would swoop in, diagnose the issue on the spot and get things up and running again. Whether it was a desktop frozen mid-task or a coffee-soaked keyboard, IT pros were always there with a fix—and a reassuring presence. No one made them feel bad for asking for IT's help. It felt heroic.
Fast-forward to today. If anything goes wrong—and I mean anything—it's immediately pinned on IT!
Let's look at how this scenario plays out now:
• My computer is slow: It's IT.
• My application is slow: It's IT.
• Google is slow: It's IT.
• A security tool is blocking my favorite LLM online: It's IT.
• My computer blue-screened: It's IT.
• Teams or Zoom freezes: It's IT.
• My home Wi-Fi is down: It's IT.
• My baseball team lost: It's (still) IT.
• I'm out of coffee creamer: You guessed it—IT.
Okay, maybe I'm stretching it a bit. But seriously—IT today is under more pressure than ever.
IT is expected to deliver seamless, consumer-grade digital experiences and enforce the security and controls needed to combat relentless cyber threats. Add in the complexity of AI, growing ticket volumes, the risk of outages, rising expectations—it's no wonder IT often feels like it can't win.
And yet, the stakes have never been higher. More than half of employees say they're more likely to leave a company if the digital tools they rely on don't work well. That makes digital employee experience (DEX) a critical priority—for both productivity and retention—and a powerful way for IT to reclaim its role as a business hero.
So, what can enterprise IT leaders do to shift the narrative? How do you create a positive culture around IT? How do you get end users to sing IT's praises again?
The answer: proactive IT.
IT is one of the few roles where success means nothing goes wrong. It's a bit like software testing or insurance—you only notice when things break. On top of that, IT must always deliver the latest and greatest software, hardware, AI systems and security measures. But by establishing a proactive IT practice—instead of reacting to every issue after the fact—IT teams can step back into the spotlight.
Here's how this (revised) story goes: By embracing machine learning models that detect issues before end users even notice, IT ensures endpoints are always available, reliable and usable. I call that "getting the computer out of the way" so employees can focus on their work. Dependable devices unlock peak productivity, enabling people to do their best work.
Like the Wizard of Oz behind the curtain, IT quietly powers the exceptional digital experiences that fuel employees, end users and, ultimately, customers.
In this new story of IT, the days of simply running a costly support organization are gone. In 2025 and beyond, IT becomes a strategic enabler, shifting the narrative from constant complaints to the kind of praise usually reserved for true business champions.
Let's take another look at how this scenario plays out:
• Airport kiosks stay functional for passengers, accommodating long lines of passengers during heavy traffic—even after a bug was detected early: It's IT!
• Insurance customers are happy because the rep's computer isn't slow today: It's IT!
• The firm's top trader closes a massive deal because her laptop works at just the right moment: It's IT!
• The company uncovered $1.4 million after unused software licenses were identified: It's IT!
Okay, maybe not everyone's shouting "It's IT!" just yet—but imagine instead of suffering hours or days of downtime, you receive one of these messages:
• "Hey, your computer was running slowly because of some unused software. I went ahead and cleaned that up—let me know if you still need that software.'
• 'Hey, it looks like you're a power user and need upgraded RAM. I went ahead and shipped it to you and will walk you through the install.'
That is proactive IT management. And that, my friends, is how IT stops being the scapegoat—and becomes the hero once again. By shifting from reaction to anticipation, IT empowers the enterprise to focus on creativity, innovation and digital transformation.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
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