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Proprietary Technologies And Infrastructural Technologies

Decent Essays

In 2003, Carr published a controversial article “IT Doesn’t Matter” that put IT in a different light. Carr makes a distinction between proprietary technologies and infrastructural technologies. He argues that proprietary technologies are those that can be “actually or effectively owned by a single company” (Carr, 2013, p. 42). Proprietary technologies can create strategic advantage as long as they remain protected, and can provide companies with a lot of profit. Meanwhile, Infrastructural technologies provide greater value when shared. Technologies move from proprietary to infrastructure as they mature.
Moreover, Carr asserts that IT has lost its strategic value. He argues that IT is no longer strategic because it has stopped to be scarce goods. In addition, he mentions that profit margins on IT related innovations will disappear. This argument is based on capital intensive goods such as railroads and steam engines. I disagree with this statement. IT should not be compared to such goods. The marginal cost of IT products does not increase with greater scale. Thus, any business that can decrease marginal cost by installing IT can make IT investments profits large and gain improved strategic value.
Furthermore, Carr argues that IT is primarily transport technology, and because everyone got access to IT, it’s no longer offers an advantage. I disagree with Carr. IT provides the primary means for increasing the companies’ knowledge capital. IT helps businesses manage “the

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