Technology Paradise Lost

Description

Debunking many of today's myths about the future prospects and growth of information technology, this book uses a variety of well-accepted economic, technological, and market data to come to the contrary conclusion that IT is poised to shrink and not grow. Discussed is how this conclusion does not imply that companies will slow their use of technology but rather all aspects will become much less expensive, thus halting traditional growth patterns. The argument is made that over the next three to five years, the same price performance gains that have been seen in the hardware area will be seen in software, external services, and labor spending. Outlined are the factors causing this change, which include open source software, Microsoft, offshore labor and services, new software tools to better manage IT assets, and the Internet. The book also argues that buyers of technology have become much savvier about its use and will be spending less overall to get more from their investments. With these changes in mind, survival strategies for buyers and sellers of technology to help them prepare for this long-term change in growth are prescribed.

CONTENTS:

preface ix
acknowledgments xiii

1 Paradise lost? 1 2 IT spending: a brief history 13 3 Less bang for the IT buck 29 4 Show me the productivity 47 5 Too much of a good thing 68 6 Businesslean and simple 90 7 Offshoring: the new trend 116 8 Cutting the IT budget down to size 137 9 The four paths of IT spending 153 10 Reaching the Path of Profits 170 11 Its not business as usual 186 epilogue Stepping back to get ahead 211

notes 219
index 233