Will IT in 2010 be seen as Cost or Investment?

Abhishek I agree with you. IT sector is one of the major revenue generating sector of India. So it is good to invest in IT.

Thanks.... 

This is really a very good question. Lets add another dimension to this conventional or contemprory business process. here you can find the answer. Well after Tsunami in global market every organization is tryin to prepare themselves to tackle any such situation in future. They are now talking about optimization of the business process, new ways to run business beyond boundries and cost effective. No prize for guessing that IT can make that possible. Today's Cost of IT becomes Investment and will give you return in terms of reduce your process time, Increased efficincy and quality, better ROI, and most important thing it will work as a bridge between the supplier and the end customer. what else a business needs to become market leader.

IT Can never be seen as anything else other than Investment. The out come of any thing that is considered as cost lasts only for one cycle. Expense is another term we use it inetrchangeably with cost or investment. But expense is something that we do on which there is no return it is expensed and nothing can be recovered from that. Where as on a cost, some of it or all of it or may be some profit can be made out of the product or service that resulted due to cost.

Investment is the one which is supposed to yield returns on it or aid the process that results in returns repeatedly until the life of the result

Now IT is an enabler to not only produce, but also run the process of procuring, producing and selling in short running a business. In my opinion IT is one of the very critical investments in a business.

Companies look at it as investment as it saves time,less repetition of work, performance boosters to all departments in the company. Further it reduces time loss leading to quicker transactions helping in getting higher output.

Companies started thinking it as a necessity.

If companies don't think it as a investment and delay in investgment  it will effect their bussiness in the competitive world.