I use a car analogy for these situations: You need a mechanic (IT professional.) I'm an engineer (coder.) They're both technically demanding jobs, but they use very different skillsets: IT pros, like mechanics, have to think laterally across a wide array of technology to pinpoint and solve vague problems, and they are very good at it because they do it often.

Software engineers are more like the guy that designed one part of the transmission on one very specific make of car. Can they solve the same problems as IT pros? Sure! But it'll take them longer and the solution might be a little weird.