what are the merits and demerits of overspending on IT by software firms?
487230
Are there ANY merits for overspending on IT? The demerits are all too clear. Many software firms fail for that reason.\nIt is the ones with a good business plan, top management and budget control, that become the Microsoft's, Sun's, etc.
225720
First, you have to have something that someone wants, like an operating system when no other operating system is available. Then, you get a good lawyer to invent a way of charging for every installation of that operating system on computers that would have SOME kind of operating system anyway, so you have to make sure that the company selling the computers has a reputation which is impeccable and all the dummies buying their equipment are totally dependent on ONE style of doing things.\nOnce you establish a dependency in the business world, then you can branch out to employees and their friends, who all want to do what their peers are doing, regardless of how poor the quality is, or how much time they spend on upgrades and rebooting their computers. \nIn other words, you have to learn to convert people's lives and time into cashflow through a lawyer. Or just hold their livelihoods as hostages via an entrenched dogmatic system of purchasing agents and accountants who won't let you change how businesses use information technology.
1136127
I think it's difficult for a lot of people to understand or support losing local jobs.  However, your scenario is accurate.  This is now a _global_ economy and people need to shift their thinking a little bit in order to understand the financial impact of decisions to outsource or not.   \n\nThe primary points of your argument are,\n1) There are equally competent engineers in India.  \nThis is true, in fact, of the people that I have worked with, I find that people in Indian firms are _highly_ competent, hard-working, and well-mannered.\n\n2) These competent engineers cost less.\nAbsolutely true.  This will probably change over time as the law of supply-and-demand starts to work, but not for awhile.  Although there is a great deal of demand for low-cose, high-potential engineers, there is also plenty of supply in the global markets.\n\n3) Companies that choose not to utilize global resources will lose.\nVery true.  The cost of product at such a company will be higher in some way.  The product will cost more to make, support, fix, enhance, etc.\n\n4) Downsizing has offsets.\nAlso true.  There will always be a need for direct customer interaction in many areas.  It's only the areas that can be serviced by remote people, like software development, testing, call centers, monitoring, etc that will be heavily impacted by global outsourcing.
225018
total crap, look at some of the huge companies which have crashed due to bad management (One Tel). \n\nwhat makes a company survive is an aspect which differentiates a company from the compertition
698826
Corporations have cut costs to compete with the emerging market threats they are facing on a global scale. Doing more with less has become the war call for most companies. As an employee you are in a tough position, jobs once considered junior or middle management have undergone restructure or redundant. These tasks have been issued to employees who have displayed the talent to "get things done" This is the reality of business in the market today, is it unfair? It depends what side you look at it from. If you feel there is no opportunity for growth in your company or they are treating you poorly, then explore new options. On the other side of this coin, look at this as an opportunity, you are acquiring a valuable understanding of how your company operates not to mention the free education you are receiving from the new tasks you are asked to do. If done properly, you will work yourself into a position that will allow you to grow in the company based on your overall knowledge and become indispensable. It's hard to replace the nerve centre of the office....WINK\n\nGood luck.
304832
It depends on a few things:\n1. ALL information and workstations bleong to the company. So deleting files and roaming the web are the same thing as creating a word document and working on a presentation for your boss. The laws are very clear on this.\n2. Viewing questionable sites (as defined by your HR department) will get you demoted/suspended/fired.\n3. Your employers can use keyloggers and also can (and most do) read all outbound content (email webmail and the like).\n\nSo - if you think they might be doing it - then they ARE doing it.\nIf your working in a small company then there is not really too much to worry about as the IT department may have a smal budget and just looks at teh workstation level.\nIf your working in a large company - then your open to all sorts of things like:\nrandom access audits\nemail screening\nweb usage history audits
480882
No, some of the companies do it on a cash basis but you need to go often to replenish it, in that case.
945118
don't you worry about it, they will take their money in due time. it might be because the computer costs a lot more than the software.
588657
You make something I like, I give you something of value.  If your price satisfies your costs of labor and materials, you break even.  Excess is profit.  If I think the price is too high, I don't buy it and you're out the cost of production.
481223
I have been working with Java and related technologies for 10 years, exclusively for about 8 years. I highly recommend it.\n\nMy job (software engineer/consultant) pays about as good as you can get without owning your own business.\n\nThere was a lull in business after 9/11, but that is a thing of the past. Twice in the past three years I have been involved in a bidding war, with two potential clients both wanting to hire me and exchanging offers to try and get me.\n\nI have friends who are .Net consultants who are lowering their billing rate at the same time that I am increasing mine.\n\nHOWEVER, I must say that there is a limited shelf life for *ANY* programming technology. The most important thing you can do is stay flexible and hone your skill at picking up new technologies on the fly.
512184
here you go...best answer please??\n\n"We specialise with adverse\ncredit problems including\nNo proof of income, Self certification,\nCCJs, Arrears, IVAs and more"
874415
I think that one of the best resource for software companies on the net is this page.. http://www.indiashomepage.com/c.aspx?cid=4
542479
Not an answer: It may be a good thing. It also keeps the company out of your business.
624987
Cuts administrative cost of issuing payroll in half.\n\nI can't think of a drawback.\n\nWe did it for years with no issues.
975856
I can answer this question from the viewpoint of Software engineering. Essentially many companies are outsourcing their development efforts to places like India and China. The main reasons are that it 'appears' to be cheaper and you can dump the unneeded tasks such as maintenance of old legacy code, development of really uninteresting software and keep all the really interesting tasks and intellectual property back home. However i believe this to be false economy. \n\nIn my experience in dealing with Indian companies i found that very often these type of outsourced tasks are performed by trainee developers recently graduated from Bangalore university. These people are used on such project to cut their intellectual teeth to enable them to pretend to be more experienced than they really are. The work performed is often seriously substandard and it is often the companies employees not the out sourcing company that has to  integrate this poor quality work. It can be likened having a company build your house and then you have to finish the foundations yourself. \n\nCertain studies in the UK have indicated the real saving as only 15%, but if you also add the additional project management effort by salaried managers and additional support work of project staff such as SCM, testers, Integrators,builders not to mention support ing processes that need adding to projects.  I believe the savings to be miniscule. \n\nThe biggest impact though I believe is going to in future product development . Many companies have let go of their experts as they have farmed off their particular projects to India. When there is a need to perform future development in these areas they will find they are a the mercy of the outsourcing company who will be  able to charge what they want and the company will no longer have the expertise to do their own. I can think of several big corporate Communications companies in the US who are in this position.
1101590
figure time and materials. checking what competitors are charging may also help. it is better to overbid than underbid and lose money. remember a contract may have you losing money for a long time if you are wrong.
714526
Giving a company great technologies is a lot like giving Army cooks the best ingredients money can buy. It’s not the technology/ingredients, but what is done with them. Billions of dollars are spent every year in this country on technologies that actually make the companies significantly less efficient than they were before the technologies were implemented. Competent, educated, experienced and motivated managers can make a company using a paper system more successful than a company with incompetent, uneducated, inexperienced and/or unmotivated managers can with the greatest technologies available.\n\nFor the sake of this discussion I am addressing large companies with complex products and services. Mom and Pop businesses are a whole different issue and the subject of a different discussion.\n\nThere are several common mistakes made by companies selecting technologies. The biggest is that senior management doesn’t truly understand the business they are in. In this case, the managers within the organization must first educate senior management before any technology can even be considered. In large organizations it is often difficult to reach senior management since they tend to have “gatekeepers” that filter everything reaching them. The really great executives spend a significant percentage of their time “walking around.” They go out into the offices and warehouses. They talk to clerks, customers, janitors and in general the working folks within the organization. There are many examples of this; Wal-Mart is the best. Sam Walton built the largest retail business in the world by understanding his business first and technologies a distant second.\n\nIf technologies are the best answer then why are technology companies some of the least successful in maintaining long term growth. The big technology companies build huge reserves during the introduction of their technologies. There are probably hundreds of stories of fail technology companies. Some big ones off the top of my head are Memorex, STC, CDC, Itel, and even IBM has failed in many respects. They failed for several reasons. Many of them failed from the classic if we build it they will buy it mentality without regard to what their customers wanted. Many of them failed because they made the fatal error of thinking that by implementing the latest technology it would some how save their business. They spent all their time looking at process and internal business technology when they should have been paying attention to their markets.\n\nWell run businesses are always examining their business processes. They are also listening to their customers and examining their competition. They are keeping a sharp eye out for break through technologies without letting their businesses be caught in an endless stream of technology changes for technology’s sake. The technology companies like Oracle and SAP are great at selling “Stone Soup.” That is they tell you their software will do everything and then they provide the proverbial “pot of water with the stone in the bottom.” All their clients have to do is put millions upon millions of software development dollars into the pot to make it soup. The worst aspect of businesses caught in the technology trap is that they take their eye off the ball and that ball is their customers. \n\nI have been in organizations that changed the software running their business so often that they literally melt down from the inside. Good management is more important than good technology.