IT Doesn't Matter. ... That's the title of Nicholas Carr's recent article in the Harvard Business Review (Online, May 1, 2003). "IT (information technology) is the latest in a series of broadly adopted technologies -- think of the railroad or the electric generator -- that have reshaped industry over the past two centuries. For a brief time, these technologies created powerful opportunities for forward-looking companies. But as their availability increased and their costs decreased, they became commodity inputs. From a strategic standpoint, they no longer matter."

Don't tell that to Hessam Nadji, SVP National Director Marketing and Research, and Rick Peltz, Director of Information Services, at Marcus & Millichap. Clearly they see a significant advantage in their recent technology initiatives, which include e-brochures, collaboration web sites, personal agent web sites, and buyer matching alerts on cell phones.

Last week I spoke with Peltz shortly after he returned from ComputerWorld's Mobile & Wireless World conference (incidentally, where security was a hugely important topic). Peltz outlined three critical challenges. Keep technology simple and effortless (four hours training max). Provide connectivity to his agents no matter where they are (wired, wireless, office, home). Minimize risk to the agents and the company by preventing unauthorized access to their network.

What do you think? Is technology a strategic advantage at your firm? How do you measure it? Send me your ideas. I'll report in a future Dispatch.

--Peter Pike