In Pictures: The worst IT addictions (and how to cure them)

Jargon, data, power -- the first step to IT recovery is recognizing the monkey on your back

IT addiction no. 1: Jargon

Jargon is a way to show off and fool others into thinking you know more than you do. But an acronym addiction serves no one well.

"Some tech may say, 'We need a RAID 5 SAN or our backups will fail,' and management won't have any idea what that means," says Glenn Phillips, president of Forte. "And if he's making up a bunch of crap, management won't have any idea. You need someone technically competent enough to call BS."

The cure: Smart IT pros know communication skills are essential, and they work to develop them. But executives must be willing to admit they don't have a clue what IT is telling them.

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