When I picture a business, I don’t just see a company selling things or a bunch of people working together. I imagine it as a living body, where every part has a specific job to help the whole business stay healthy and successful. According to articles like Investopedia’s “The Basic Elements of Business Success,” the main parts—finance, operations, marketing, and human resources—are really important for a company to work well. But I think there are a few other pieces that matter just as much, even if they don’t get talked about as often. For instance, customer service acts like the company’s voice to the outside world, research and development brings in fresh ideas, and innovation keeps the business growing and improving. I see these as extra organs that keep the business alive and moving forward.

To me, Information Technology (IT) is like the nervous system of a business. IT isn’t just stuck in one department—it connects every part of the company. For example, finance needs IT to keep money and data safe, HR uses IT for things like hiring with platforms such as Workday, and marketing depends on IT for tools like Google Analytics. Without IT, it would be like trying to play a sport with no coach or game plan—everything would be slow and confusing.

There are lots of different roles in IT. System administrators keep the networks and servers working, cybersecurity experts make sure hackers can’t break in, and data analysts turn big piles of numbers into useful information for leaders. A great example is Amazon: their IT team makes sure millions of purchases happen safely every day, and their data experts use technology to recommend products to customers.

I believe IT should be organized like a sports team, with a strong leader (like a CIO or CTO) who guides the team, and IT specialists spread out across all the departments. This keeps IT from getting isolated and makes it a real partner everywhere in the business. In my view, a company is most successful when IT is involved in every part, helping everyone work toward the same goal.