True: GIS in 2014 is simpler and cheaper.
Why? Cloud services and low cost (mobile) hardware.
Simple? Let others host and maintain while you focus on the solution.
Our conclusion from conversations over 2013 was that many still see GIS as this complex system. They have nightmares remembering GIS technology choices, licensing fees, tuning/maintaining/upgrading servers, publishing data. But their thinking had still to move forward.