For any organization seeking to achieve high performance, the role of information technology has never been more vital. The extraordinary abundance and easy accessibility of information mean that its very nature is changing. The tools and technologies used today to gather and share information are contributing to an ever-expanding list of new uses for information, in both business and government. Meanwhile, increasingly advanced, cheaper computing power and data storage have simplified the management of this avalanche of words, numbers and images.

These forces have combined to give companies an unprecedented opportunity to use IT to create business value, the ultimate standard for measuring high performance. For most companies, this will involve three steps: reassessing their information technology plan and approaches; investing carefully to support their IT plan; and mastering the capabilities needed to realize that plan.