About the time you are guzzling your third eggnog this holiday season, you might want to consider the following business IT questions for 2010.

Do you really need a fat client on each desk? Fat clients are the conventional desktop and laptop computers, richly configured with memory and storage and loaded with applications. They are costly to own and operate and increasingly unnecessary in a world of SaaS and cloud services. You can find almost any desktop application you need online at Google and others.

Does Microsoft have your organization’s best interests at heart? Many managers think they have no alternative to Microsoft Windows, Windows Server, Exchange, and a slew of other Microsoft applications. That is no longer the case. Between the cloud, SaaS, and open source, you have a lot of alternatives that are as good or, quite often, much better and may cost less. Check out the SaaS Showplace for starters.

Who do you want controlling the Internet? This is what the net neutrality issue comes down to. Do you want a small handful of big telcos to call the shots? When did Ma Bell and its progeny ever have your best interests at heart? Tune in to the debate by checking out this free brief online video. Net neutrality is important to your business; make yourself heard.

Do you really need to customize your applications? Managers insist they do because their business is different, unique, etc., etc. Most businesses get little competitive advantage from customizing most applications. Customization mainly raises the cost while undermining any best practices originally built into the software. Look instead for off-the-shelf applications that can be configured as you want without costly customization.

How can your organization benefit from social networking? Facebook, Twitter, and the others change the way people interact, get information, and communicate. If these people are your customers or your employees, you need to be there, too. Make a resolution to figure out your social networking strategy in 2010.

Do you have a mobile strategy? Mobile computing, increasingly in the form of smartphones, will be the communications and computing device of the future. Now is the time to start thinking about the implications of this kind of mobility, about everything from location awareness to security. Smartphones will happen in your organization whether you plan for them or not. So, better to plan.

What is the role of IT in your organization? With the cloud and SaaS, organizations no longer need an IT group to set up servers and storage or deploy applications. Except for maintaining the local network, all the IT plumbing can be delegated to the cloud. IT still has an important role to play, but it won’t be building out the IT infrastructure. Time for IT to think strategic.

This will be the last wiredFINANCE piece for 2009. Best wishes to all for happy holidays and a peaceful and prosperous New Year. See you in 2010. ###