IT Infrastructure...does it really matter anymore

The other day, a co-worker and I got into a debate around the importance of "infrastructure" [you know all the "stuff" that make technology work - networks, servers, operation systems, firewalls, etc.] to most users of technology.

Now first of all, we all use technology in one way or another - the cable TV box that brings our entertainment to us is a high tech gadget and so is your mobile phone - but really, how much do we really think about it any more. I would say that most users don't give it a second thought - just like "thinking" about electricity or running water - it's just there and it works.

But that wasn't the case just a few years ago - to get computers and networks to work - someone had to think about it. And we as users were reminded about how difficult it was to keep all this "infrastructure" running smoothly.

But not today - it has become a utility just like electricity and water - it comes into our homes and businesses, we use it when we need it and don't really think about. In fact, we expect it to work and we are very upset when it doesn't. We expect our phone to be able to read email [from any email account we have]; we expect our printers to print out photos; we expect our newly shot videos to be easily uploaded to the internet; we expect to be able to pay our bills over the web; we expect all these things and don't give a hoot about the infrastructure used to get it done.

So the debate was - does infrastructure matter? And the answer is dependent upon which side you're sitting on - if you're a user the answer is no and if you'rr a provider the answer is yes.

So how important is infrastructure to you?