So, you’ve outsourced your IT operations? How quickly could you scramble to pull it back in-house? Just thought I’d ask since you are likely to be doing that soon. That is, you’ll do it if your business manages to stay alive during the deepening recession.
The Internet Cloud is about to start precipitating everything back out. This isn’t simply about the likes of Yahoo going begging for a buyer. Lots of stuff is being sold, but who’s to say the buyers will still be in business 6 months from now? I’ve read people suggesting that China’s vast horde of Western cash will make that nation a rescue buyer. Except China is struggling, too, but along totally different lines.
Folks, as much as possible, you need to evaluate whatever IT services you must have to stay in business, and start planning to cut the strings. You need to pull as much as you can back under your own roof ASAP. Not every business will shut down. There are certain forms of entertainment that are just about recession-proof: certain types of competitive sports and vice always sell. And I suppose people are not going to give up their cellphones even if it means sleeping in their cars. But seriously, do your best to hang on and keep track of your market. It may seem more expensive to do stuff in-house, but it’s even more expensive if your IT provider shuts down; they have a tendency to tell no one until they close the doors and sell your data.
Even as they struggle so hard to build and become the essential service no one can live without, the big huge specialty centralizers are going to collapse. They will do so without warning. Personal loyalty doesn’t mean a thing any more unless it’s under your roof. Trust me, most of this IT stuff isn’t really that complicated. Flexibility is the primary survival tactic.
