tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45168185798400567842012-02-16T02:16:01.295-06:00Ed Chaltryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17575997292228929722noreply@blogger.comBlogger21100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4516818579840056784.post-13441270769176086182009-03-07T13:40:00.009-06:002009-03-07T16:40:54.643-06:00Given the current economic crisis (yes, it is a crisis) and enormous job cuts across industries, it might sound like a self-serving proclamation (I do work for an IT service company after all) that companies should continue (or increase) investment in their Information Technology (IT). But I firmly believe that most companies should heed this advice... now is the time to invest in IT!<br /><br />Why?<br /><br /><strong>Productivity</strong><br />Well, most companies are having to do more work with less people. This could be either due to layoffs or hiring freezes. But even those companies who are "weathering the storm" can benefit by IT investment now.<br /><br />Over the past few decades, technology has proven to be the enabler of major increases in productivity for our workers. Process automation projects, self-service applications, intuitive web sites and systems; these types of IT projects have all led to productivity increases in the workplace. Whether making our employees more productive or letting our customers and partners access the information they need directly, the end result is the same. We do more with less. In light of the depth of our economic downturn, it's not a stretch to say productivity gains are more important than ever.<br /><br /><strong>Cost</strong><br />Good IT talent has been hard to come by over the past few years. This has driven salaries up, as well as rates for outsourcing or contracting IT work. This is changing. Due to the downsizing in some industries, there is excellent and experienced IT talent out in the market today. At the same time, this increased availability appears to have led to some downward pressure on salaries. So hiring quality IT resources is, by and large, less expensive than it was just a year ago.<br /><br />In addition, most IT vendors are willing to "work a deal". Even though Technology as an industry hasn't been hit as hard as some, sales are still down across the board. This gives extra incentive for hardware, software and even services providers to be creative in winning business.<br /><br /><strong>Competition</strong><br />Eventually, this storm will pass (they always do). We don't know if it will be months, quarters, or (gasp!) years, but at some point demand across industries will increase and the economy will start expanding again . Those companies that invest today to make themselves more <em>efficient</em> and <em>agile</em> will be in a better position to scale their operations and grow their business. IT can be a <em>enabler</em> of this efficiency and agility, potentially leading to a competitive advantage.<br /><br />So there you have it: productivity, cost, and competition. Three reasons to continue (or increase) investment in IT today.<br /><br />Thoughts?<br /><br />Have a great day!<br />Ed<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4516818579840056784-1344127076917608618?l=edchaltry.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Ed Chaltryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17575997292228929722noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4516818579840056784.post-2753280701068706712009-03-01T11:05:00.001-06:002009-03-02T13:37:49.773-06:00Welcome to my blog. After years avoiding blogging at all costs, I've realized that, even though I don't think I have a lot of important things to say, others may appreciate a voice of reason in the sea of strong emotions that is the Internet today...<br /><br />I'll be writing on a variety of different topics, including:<br /><ul><li>technology I find interesting (like cloud computing),</li><li>software development processes (I'm a strong agile proponent, and spend alot of time talking about ALM),</li><li>IT strategy and alignment (you do have a strategic plan for your IT organization, don't you?),</li><li>and finally other misc topics I find interesting, (autos, maybe a little politics, etc.)</li></ul><br /><br />Have a great day! <br /><br />-Ed<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4516818579840056784-275328070106870671?l=edchaltry.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Ed Chaltryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17575997292228929722noreply@blogger.com0