When IT people are engaged with the business, when they see how it fits together and recognize that they're not just slinging code and stringing wires but making a real impact -- that's when they're not just working to succeed at IT projects. They're working to succeed at business.

And when it all makes sense, when IT people know they're making business happen, they're a lot more satisfied. And that makes their IT shop a great place to work -- at the same time they're turning IT into a value generator in the business, not just a cost center.

Now that's a competitive advantage.

The salaries, the perks, the benefits, the flextime, the training, the opportunities -- yeah, you need all those. And when IT is delivering the goods because IT's people are tightly aligned with the business, it's not hard to make the case that these aren't luxuries. They're just good support for people who are driving success in the business.

That's the secret. Get it? Good. Now help yourself to the ideas from this year's Best Places to Work in IT. They're not just tips on which benefits 27,000 IT people like best. They're also ways of engaging IT people with the business so they like their jobs, too. Just remember: This isn't about doing things to make your IT people happy.