When first introduced to the public, corporate Web sites were primarily used to present marketing information in a format that resembled print brochures and catalogs. It made sense for the direction of a Web site to be determined by marketing professionals.As technology evolved, sites became more dynamic and interactive, allowing visitors access to information such as the availability of a particular product. This step meant that marketers needed to work with other divisions throughout the organization -- IT professionals and graphic designers, for example. Still, Web sites were pretty clearly in marketing's domain.As the size and expectations of the Web audience grows, the demand for the effective delivery of information increases. Conceivably, nearly every position within an organization -- assistants, database coordinators, systems administrators, accounts payable staff, creative directors, as well as marketing executives -- can contribute to the delivery of information on the Web. The latest round of Web technologies (like XML) offer content providers the ability to deliver complex, sophisticated content.

Given the new technologies and the necessity for internal staff members to collaborate, we need a new process, and we need a new type of manager for the process. That's where the role of the information architect comes in.