<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>

<rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom">

    <channel>
        <title>Edge Services Inc</title>
        <description>Edge Services Blog</description>
        <link>http://www.edgeservices.com/</link>
        <atom:link href="http://www.edgeservices.com/rss.php" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
<item><title><![CDATA[10 Commandments for Succeeding as a Remote Professional]]></title><description><![CDATA[In the consulting world, many consultants have the opportunity to work remotely. It is a great opportunity, for both the consultant (flexibility, less travel, convenience) and for the employer (lower costs, more efficient professionals, access to talent otherwise out of reach).
However, as professionals go into a remote work agreement, we like to remind them of the 10 Commandments for Succeeding as a Remote Professional. 

Communicate, communicate, communicate! This can&amp;rsquo;t be reinforced enough. Communication is the key to succeeding as a remote professional. Setting up deliberate and regular avenues of communication (onsite, phone calls, email, conference calls, Skype) is crucial to keep you plugged-in.
Set aside a dedicated workspace and make sure you have the right tools. Working remote requires a mindset and setting up a professional workspace will ensure your success. A couple of must-haves - a high-speed, reliable internet connection and proper telephone equipment. Also helpful are a fax/scanner/printer and a video camera for teleconferencing.
Get dressed for the day. You don&amp;rsquo;t have to put on the business suit or even khaki&amp;rsquo;s and a dress shirt. But, by committing to the routine of &amp;ldquo;getting ready for the day&amp;rdquo; helps you mentally transition from &amp;ldquo;home&amp;rdquo; to &amp;ldquo;office.&amp;rdquo; 
Remove distractions. As a remote professional you will spend a great deal of time on the phone. When setting up your office space, take steps to eliminate distractions that will interfere with clear phone conversations - dogs barking, lawn mowers, kids talking, etc.&amp;nbsp; 
Be ready and able to show results. This starts by communicating with your manager when you come into the job. What defines success for them? What challenges are they facing that you can help with? As you work, document your progress, work processes, roadblocks and results. 
Look for ways to add value to your job, department and organization. You have a unique perspective, as a remote professional. Be open to identifying those opportunities and bringing ideas to the table.
Respect the fact that you aren&amp;rsquo;t in the office and may not have a complete picture of the environment. This requires you to listen more, ask questions, and then listen even more.
Protect your work product just as you would in an office setting. Follow your employer&amp;rsquo;s policies and ensure that your home office space is secure and protects proprietary information, including having the ability to shred documents and being extremely conscious of any code or information that includes identifiable data.
Commit to a work/life balance. Out-of-sight employees can sometimes cause managers to be a little uncomfortable with remote resources. That doesn&amp;rsquo;t mean you have to be a slave to your desk, but make sure you are available to your manager and co-workers, attend and participate in conference calls, and communicate frequently. You can still enjoy the benefits of working remote (flexibility, convenience), but ensure work commitments are met.
Communicate, Communicate, Communicate! Did we mention this is the KEY to being a successful remote professional?

EDGE works places both on-site and remote professionals. If you are a IT professional looking for new opportunities or a IT manager looking for unique talent, please call us.]]></description><link>http://www.edgeservices.com/pages/blog/10-commandments-for-succeeding-as-a-remote-professional</link><guid>http://www.edgeservices.com/pages/blog/10-commandments-for-succeeding-as-a-remote-professional</guid><pubDate>Thu, 10 May 2012 10:48:37 -0400</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Tips &amp; Tricks: Better Seach Results]]></title><description><![CDATA[Looking for a Needle in the Haystack?
Despite advances in search engine technology, anyone researching a subject or looking for a particular document or file often needs to scroll through multiple screens of results. Here's a quick trick that could save some time sorting through non-relevant search engine results. Just have the search engine of your choice &amp;ndash; it works on all the major ones &amp;ndash; only return results for the type of file you want.
For example, when looking for product manuals of any type, search for only PDFs since most are produced in that format. Just conclude the search string with filetype:PDF and only PDF files will come up in the results.
This tip works for any type of file.]]></description><link>http://www.edgeservices.com/pages/blog/tipstricksbetter-seach-results</link><guid>http://www.edgeservices.com/pages/blog/tipstricksbetter-seach-results</guid><pubDate>Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:39:01 -0400</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Top Issues IT Professionals Face in 2012]]></title><description><![CDATA[An annual study of IT executives prepared by global strategic advisory company, The Hackett Group, offers a good glimpse into the key issues facing IT organizations. In its newly published report, The Hackett Group concludes that 2012 will be a trying year for IT organizations.&amp;nbsp;
The key issues facing IT executives for 2012 include:

&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Tackling IT/business alignment.
&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Enabling transactional processes via technology.
&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Reducing the complexity of the technology infrastructure and application portfolio.
&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Supporting data governance and data management initiatives.

Hackett reports that IT executives are also concerned their business will not be able to acquire or develop the necessary IT skills to meet its business needs.
Insurance &amp;amp; Technology, which reports on business and technology issues in the insurance sector, found their industry IT executives are concerned with incorporating data analytics, integrating legacy systems with modern systems, and moving past just accommodating mobile technology. The insurance industry is also concerned it will not be able to find IT professionals with proper skills. One potential solution to locate the necessary IT professionals is through IT staffing providers. According to Insurance &amp;amp; Technology, an executive with Novarica, an insurance and financial services consultancy, says that larger companies often have multiple staffing providers to help with diverse projects. All positive outlooks for IT staffing firms for 2012.]]></description><link>http://www.edgeservices.com/pages/blog/top-issues-it-professionals-face-in-2012</link><guid>http://www.edgeservices.com/pages/blog/top-issues-it-professionals-face-in-2012</guid><pubDate>Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:37:35 -0400</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Realities of Balancing IT Budgets with Business Demands - How Will All the Work Be Accomplished?]]></title><description><![CDATA[It is that time of year again - time to think about your upcoming IT budget.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; What projects are required by the business you support?&amp;nbsp; How much will it all cost and how are you going to squeeze more from every budget dollar?&amp;nbsp; These are just some of the questions which need to be answered.
Money is tight.&amp;nbsp; You are expected to do more with equal or less. Are you facing the need to downsize staff, but will still be obligated to produce the same amount of work?&amp;nbsp; And worse yet, have you already given up every resource you could spare, but still must reduce headcount?&amp;nbsp; You are not alone.
Most financial institutions are facing the same issues.&amp;nbsp; Yet, at the same time, the advances in technology are allowing a steady stream of new ways in which the consumer can conduct their financial business and they are demanding access to it.&amp;nbsp; Your challenge is to balance the business demands with the amount of &amp;ldquo;through put&amp;rdquo; your reduced staffing level can handle.&amp;nbsp; So, what can you do in the budgeting process to meet all the needs and challenges on your desk?

Explain the limitations on your resources (people, time and budget) and that they will have to trim their request list.&amp;nbsp; Not a popular alternative and, possibly, detrimental&amp;nbsp; to your career.&amp;nbsp; A little of this approach might be prudent and should be expected by the business, but it will not solve the entire budget crisis.
Accept the workload and prepare to disappoint the organization with respect to the timelines for completed&amp;nbsp; projects.&amp;nbsp; By elongating timelines, you would be able to take on the entire project list, but the business may be dissatisfied by the delivery delay. The delay could also result in defeating the purpose of the doing the project or projects.
Demand more from your staff. Again, another unpopular side of the available alternatives. Working your staff harder and longer, for the same dollars, may seem like a necessary evil, but it may also result in losing the very resources you value and need most. 

Another alternative you may wish to consider is allocating budget dollars for additive resources. With outside resources, you gain flexibility and can access several benefits cost effectively:

Staff your area at appropriate levels, throughout the year, as projects come and go, change, increase or reach conclusion. You can draw on the resources you need, without going through the time and expense of staffing a full-time position.
Draw on expertise needed for short periods of time. Your organization may be approaching an acquisition, upgrade, conversion or&amp;nbsp; project that needs a specialized, highly skilled resource. Consultants can bring that expertise into your organization, positively impact your project, and open your department to opportunities to save money and time, as well as achieve the efficiencies you need to operate at your prime.

As you approach your budgeting for the year, we encourage you to think about what resources could benefit your organization in the coming year. We are finding, even in the current economic challenges, good resources are working, with little benchtime.
Consider what you have ahead and call EDGE or your provider of choice. Let us talk about what needs you see coming down the road. The more we understand your challenges and the changing pulse of your organization, the better we will be able to connect you with the right resource at the right time. Our goal is to be an extension of your department, to be there when you need support.]]></description><link>http://www.edgeservices.com/pages/blog/the-realities-of-balancing-it-budgets-with-business-demandshow-will-all-the-work-be-accomplished</link><guid>http://www.edgeservices.com/pages/blog/the-realities-of-balancing-it-budgets-with-business-demandshow-will-all-the-work-be-accomplished</guid><pubDate>Tue, 27 Mar 2012 10:56:35 -0400</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Staffing Unplanned Projects]]></title><description><![CDATA[You've been there.  Your IT project plans are outlined and deadlines are set, work is underway and, it jumps up &amp;ndash; an unplanned project.  The new work must be done, along with what you already have in progress.  Your staff is fully engaged and there is no extra time or resources.  Now is the time to work some magic or pull a rabbit from the proverbial hat.
What are the alternatives to the unplanned project situation?

There is the obvious one &amp;ndash; delete      some of the original planned projects.  You know the      downsides of that &amp;ndash; projects important to the success of the business will      get side-stepped or eliminated. 
Reduce the scope of current      projects. You      may free up a resource or two.  But, care needs to be taken with reductions.      Reducing the scope of a project could have the same effect as a total      cancellation by making the result of the project ineffectual.
Hard look at delivery timeframes.       Short delays may not affect the bottom line of the project or      organizational  success.  By juggling the timeline, resources      could potentially work on both the original projects, as well as the new,      unexpected project.  This is,      usually, not an optimal solution, as the net effect is potentially longer      hours for the staff.

To staff the unplanned project immediately and maintain work process efficiency is difficult.  Obtaining hard-to-find IT skilled professionals who can deliver quality application development and management with minimal training is a challenge.
Staff augmentation is a strategy to &quot;man&quot; an unplanned project and respond to business objectives in the work process. Staff augmentation can be an effective way to leverage existing resources and utilize outside resources for the benefit of your company.  How can you benefit from staff augmentation in the most effective way, considering your time and energy limitations? Ask yourself a couple of quick questions:
Where are there disconnects between staffing levels/knowledge and the projects on my plate?Are there day-to-day tasks I could turn over to an outside resource, so that I could redirect full-time staff to the unplanned project?What resources and knowledge base would benefit the unplanned project?
Then, you need to consider a couple of questions specifically related to bringing in outside resources:
Where will the funds come from for the outside resources?
Regardless of where you actually utilize the acquired resource, funding for the person should be factored into the unplanned project budget which caused the need for the increase in headcount.  By attaching the cost to the work causing the need, the regular projects will maintain their original cost/benefit model which was developed to justify the project initially.
Will the resource work on-site or remotely?
If you have not embraced the concept of remote workers, now may be the time. By being flexible with your requirements, you could potentially widen the diversity of the available resources.  In today's market, the &quot;A&quot; players find work easily and do not have to travel in order to do so.  Requiring the individual to work on site, will limit the pool from which you can choose and most likely cause you to select from &quot;B&quot; and &quot;C&quot; players vs. &quot;A&quot;.
How do you retain the knowledge from the project within the permanent staff?
The retention of knowledge regarding a project has been an age long concern with bringing in outside staff.  A simple solution - consider using the increased resource in maintaining the day-to-day workload, while the permanent staff is redirected to the new project load.  This is especially beneficial during merger and acquisition work where retention of conversion knowledge may be considered critical.
It is only natural for you to have concerns over the ability/productivity of the IT staff you may hire from a staffing company. But, a structured recruitment process and comprehensive screening by the staffing company will ensure candidates are chosen based on their past performance and ability to handle the job requirement.  Communication with your staffing company is the key to success in obtaining the resource you require.
EDGE Services understands what you are up against and how everything needs to fit together for success in delivering your planned and unplanned projects. We've been there, we've done that!  Our banking consultants have successfully completed thousands of different project scenarios.
Calls us. We welcome your questions and want to know the challenges you are facing, what areas need addressed, and where you need support to meet your goals and expectations.]]></description><link>http://www.edgeservices.com/pages/blog/staffing-unplanned-projects</link><guid>http://www.edgeservices.com/pages/blog/staffing-unplanned-projects</guid><pubDate>Tue, 27 Mar 2012 10:55:41 -0400</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Articles of Interest from the Past Few Weeks]]></title><description><![CDATA[Tech Serve Alliance, a professional organization of staffing companies, recently linked to a couple of stories we found interesting and possibly helpful to our clients and IT consultants.
Why Cross the IT Chasm?
I use the term chasm to demonstrate the gap between two broadly accepted ways  of receiving IT Services. Before I discuss the IT scenario let me lead with an  analogy that is closer to home.
You're driving a 15-year-old car that creaks and groans but runs pretty well  most of the time (except for the odd day it spends with the mechanics). You  can't justify driving a better or newer car. Suddenly, through a change in  circumstances, you receive a three-year-old car. What do you do?
Do you sell the old car and keep the new one? Or do you sell the new one and  keep the old one?
&amp;nbsp;
4 Leadership Styles to Master
When it comes to leadership it doesn't matter if you manage a company with 500 employees or one where you are the only employee. Either environment will disprove the myth that leaders should stick to just one leadership style that they have perfected.
&amp;nbsp;
Four tips to thrive as 2012 brings the &quot;singularity&quot; of biz tech
Perhaps the term &quot;revolution&quot; is so overused in business that we have difficulty recognizing the gravity of the changes taking place. The revolution Thomas Friedman identified isn't marketing speak -- fundamental rules of business are being rewritten by technology. Business technology may not overtake human intelligence (as proposed by singularity theory), but it is creating an ability to collaborate that is unprecedented in human history. If innovation is the child of collaboration, we're going to see some seriously wild stuff.]]></description><link>http://www.edgeservices.com/pages/blog/articles-of-interest-from-the-past-few-weeks_0</link><guid>http://www.edgeservices.com/pages/blog/articles-of-interest-from-the-past-few-weeks_0</guid><pubDate>Tue, 27 Mar 2012 10:58:12 -0400</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Do You Really Need a PMP Certified Manager for That Project?]]></title><description><![CDATA[A successful Project Manager must simultaneously manage the four basic elements of a project: resources, time, money, and scope. All of these elements are interrelated and must be managed effectively. &amp;nbsp;
But the real question is - when should you assign a manager who holds a PMP certification to a project.&amp;nbsp; In some cases, it may be overkill to require PMP certification.&amp;nbsp; In others, you might want to insist on it.&amp;nbsp; Where do you draw the line and what caution should be taken?
A PMP designation after an individual&amp;rsquo;s name is a great, but it is no indication of how good a project manager he or she will be. Having PMP certification means that the person has the proper amount of experience and training to sit for the test, and then correctly answered 61% of the answers on the exam &amp;ndash; yes only 61%.
The most interesting thing about the PMP certification is the weight that some employers place on the designation when looking for project managers. To these organizations, it&amp;rsquo;s an easy screening mechanism for their HR personnel. However, that approach may screen out project managers with many years of very successful management of projects and leave the organization with a much less experienced and knowledgeable PMP certified project manager.
Try something different.&amp;nbsp; For medium to small projects, consider foregoing the requirement for PMP certification as the main criteria for the position and instead look for the following four things to get a top notch Project Manager.

Interpersonal skills. The ability to manage people is vital. Project managers are      ultimately responsible for coordinating the efforts of the technical staff      assigned to the project. It's crucial that they have the interpersonal and      leadership skills to direct team members and keep them motivated and on      track. They also need to be able to smoothly navigate through the tricky      politics within and between the participating organizations.
Organizational skills. This is a key characteristic of great project managers and is      absolutely critical to keep projects on schedule and budget. The ability      to assign resources, prioritize tasks, and keep tabs on the budget will      ensure quality and impact the project's success.
Communication skills. The project manager is the main communication link between      the business managers and technical team. Their ability to clearly      communicate with members of both groups is essential. They must be able to      clearly communicate project objectives, challenges or problems, scope      changes, and regular project status reports.
Problem-solving skills. In every project, it's unexpected problems or challenges      that drive everyone crazy. The project manager must be able to effectively      handle these situations and mitigate risk so they don't get out of      control.

When approaching larger, more mission critical projects, start with the four traits and then add the PMP certificate requirement.&amp;nbsp; Require project managers who have PMI's Project Management Professional (PMP&amp;reg;) training. To obtain PMP certification, the individual must satisfy education and experience requirements, agree and adhere to a Code of Professional Conduct, and pass the PMP Certification Examination.
EDGE has a team of project managers, both with PMP certification and without. But, what they all have in common is the four traits &amp;ndash; interpersonal skills, organizational skills, communication skills, and problem-solving skills. They are known for their ability to lead projects beyond the expectations of the hiring organizations.
For more information about EDGE project managers, click over to our Project Management page on our website or contact a member of our client relations team.]]></description><link>http://www.edgeservices.com/pages/blog/do-you-really-need-a-pmp-certified-manager-for-that-project</link><guid>http://www.edgeservices.com/pages/blog/do-you-really-need-a-pmp-certified-manager-for-that-project</guid><pubDate>Tue, 27 Mar 2012 10:53:43 -0400</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Time to Consider Remote Workers, Part II: How to Hire and Manage]]></title><description><![CDATA[If you have not experienced telecommuting, as a manager, it may be slightly intimidating. You may ask yourself &amp;ndash; how do I know they are working? How do I know they are not just sitting in front of the TV?
Telecommuting requires hiring the right people, changing your measurement of job success, place emphasis on communication, address additional security issues, and trust in those you hire.
Hiring the Right People
Successful telecommuters have a certain work ethic.&amp;nbsp; When looking at potential telecommuters, ask yourself a couple of questions. &amp;nbsp;Are they self-starters? Can they work with less supervision and direction? Do they take initiative? Do they communicate well with others &amp;ndash; over the phone and via email?
Management by Results 
Management style may require a shift in how you judge success. Because you won&amp;rsquo;t be able to directly observe the work being done, you will have to shift to a style of management by results.&amp;nbsp; In other words, manage by deliverables.&amp;nbsp; Set the parameters to small work increments of not more than 7 to 10 days of output.&amp;nbsp; This way, you will catch a slide in a project timeline well before it becomes an issue. 
Communication is a Critical
Communication between you and the telecommuter, as well as communication between telecommuters and on-site staff is critical. Setting up deliberate and regular avenues of communication is crucial to keep the work flow strong and keep the telecommuter connected.
As a direct manager of a telecommuter, it is also important for you to have an ongoing dialogue with your remote staff.&amp;nbsp; Share news from the company&amp;rsquo;s perspective, as well as get input back from the telecommuter on challenges, successes, resource needs, and more.
Involve your Security Team
Telecommuting and allowing access from outside your physical location will present some challenges. Involve your IT security team to establish access and process related to your firewall(s) and authentication process. Also, walk through an analysis of how data will be transferred and the use of home/remote equipment. Organizations should ensure that policies are in place to cover all of their security concerns prior to embracing telecommuting. &amp;nbsp;
When done correctly telecommuting is a win for everyone involved.&amp;nbsp; EDGE knows. We use telecommuting staff ourselves and place many &amp;ldquo;A&amp;rdquo; player consultants who telecommute regularly.
Give us a call.&amp;nbsp; We would be happy to entertain your questions and help you be successful in your telecommuting efforts.&amp;nbsp;]]></description><link>http://www.edgeservices.com/pages/blog/time-to-consider-remote-workspart-iihow-to-hire-and-manage</link><guid>http://www.edgeservices.com/pages/blog/time-to-consider-remote-workspart-iihow-to-hire-and-manage</guid><pubDate>Tue, 27 Mar 2012 10:54:27 -0400</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[It's Time to Consider Remote Workers, Part I]]></title><description><![CDATA[In 1981, J C Penny became the first employer to hire home based call center agents to take catalog orders. AT&amp;amp;T brought telecommuting into the forefront, in 1994, with a nationwide Employee Telecommuting Day to spread the benefits of telecommuting.
Telecommuting has continued to expand and grow, with the increase in internet speeds, more sophisticated cell phones, and teleconferencing.
Has your organization considered offering telecommuting or using telecommuting resources? &amp;nbsp;Are you already using them?
Benefits of Using Telecommuting Staff
Improves employee satisfaction&amp;nbsp;-&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; People are tired of the rat race. They are eager to take control of their lives, and desperate to find a balance between work and life.-&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Gen Y&amp;rsquo;ers are particularly attracted to flexible work arrangements.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Reduce attrition-&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Losing a valued employee can cost an employer somewhere between $10,000 and $30,000.-&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Almost half of employees feel their commute is getting worse, which may cause them to seek alternative employment.
Reduces unscheduled absences


-&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Telecommuters typically continue to work when they&amp;rsquo;re sick (without infecting others).
-&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Telecommuters return to work more quickly following surgery or medical issues.
-&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Flexible hours allow telecommuters to run errands or schedule appointments without losing a full day. 
Increases productivity


-&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Best Buy, British Telecom, Dow Chemical and many others show that telecommuters are 35-40% more productive.
-&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Results suggests that employees spend 60% of the commuting time they save performing work for the company.&amp;nbsp; 
Saves employers money


-&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Partial telecommuting can offer real estate savings by instituting an office hoteling program.
-&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Telecommuting offers an inexpensive compliance avenue with ADA for disabled workers. 
Increases collaboration


-&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Once telecommuting technologies are in place, employees and contractors can work together without regard to logistics. This increases collaboration options.&amp;nbsp; 
Expands the talent pool


-&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Reduces geographic boundaries when looking for staff.
&amp;nbsp;
EDGE knows the benefits of telecommuting, first-hand. All of our corporate employees are telecommuters, which has allowed us to tap the greatest talent and set up a work environment that maximizes their ability to serve our clients and consultants.
Many of our consultants also prefer and are most effective when telecommuting. As a client, you may be able to tap an &amp;ldquo;A&amp;rdquo; player, with very sophisticated skill sets, if you are open to telecommuting.
Next week, we will talk about how to best hire and manage remote works.]]></description><link>http://www.edgeservices.com/pages/blog/it-s-time-to-consider-remote-workerspart-i</link><guid>http://www.edgeservices.com/pages/blog/it-s-time-to-consider-remote-workerspart-i</guid><pubDate>Tue, 27 Mar 2012 10:54:57 -0400</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[IT spending to increase in 2012 ]]></title><description><![CDATA[InformationWeek&amp;rsquo;s annual Outlook 2012 Survey displayed a very bullish outlook on 2012. The report, which queries 605 business technology professionals on their plans for IT spending and hiring in 2012, found that 25 percent of companies are planning to expand IT staff and only nine percent will be cutting back. That's in stark comparison to two years ago when only 14 percent said they were expanding and 18 percent said they were cutting back.
Fifty-six percent of participants say they will be spending more on IT than in 2011, 28 percent said their spending plans are flat, and only 16 percent expect to shrink their IT budgets. Most encouraging is that 18 percent plan to raise their IT spend by more than ten percent, which is up from last year's response of 15 percent.
However, InformationWeek presents several reasons why growing project demand will not necessarily lead to more hiring. Despite only three percent reporting that the demand for new IT projects is dipping, almost one-third (30 percent) report there is a hiring freeze and &quot;won't be allowed to fill openings&quot; in 2012. &quot;CIOs continue to rely heavily on outsourcing as the variable component to their workforces, absorbing the peaks of IT demand as well as fulfilling specialized skills.&quot; The editors go on to report that,&amp;nbsp; there&amp;rsquo;s strong demand for mobile app development, but much of that work is outsourced and cloud computing allows companies to add IT capabilities without the same staff.&quot;
In comparison, CIO Insight also released a study with some interesting observations. CIO Insight's 2012 IT Investment Patterns Study used a random sample from parent company Ziff-Davis Enterprises. The 329 respondents in organizations with 50 or more employees were familiar with their company's budget and spending levels. They report three broad trends for 2012:

Areas that organizations may have given short shrift to in the past due to the economy are now being funded in 2012. Increased investments in security are an example of what the editors call &quot;Reversion.&quot;
Increased popularity for organizations in mobility and cloud-related spending, or what CIO Insight is referring to as &amp;ldquo;Innovation&amp;rdquo;. Most (91 percent) of organizations plan to spend 14.6 percent more on mobile devices, which is&amp;nbsp; the third largest spending category, surpassed only by servers and desktops / notebooks.
&amp;nbsp;Spending continues in existing areas such as infrastructure and software. CIO Insight calls this trend &quot;Integration&quot; to ensure established areas don't &quot;get lost to the newcomers&quot; (e.g. mobile and cloud).

&amp;nbsp;
Are you seeing these trends in your organization? Are there ways that companies, like EDGE, can support your organization as you grow and adapt?
&amp;nbsp;]]></description><link>http://www.edgeservices.com/pages/blog/it-spending-to-increase-in-2012</link><guid>http://www.edgeservices.com/pages/blog/it-spending-to-increase-in-2012</guid><pubDate>Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:28:31 -0500</pubDate></item></channel></rss> 
