Read For Yourself, and You Decide
This article suggests that the Tech job outlook has been more damaged by dot-bomb, than by outsourcing.
Study: Outsourcing Tech Jobs Helps Economy

It's Heating Up As a Campaign Issue
No matter where you fall on the issue, expect to hear more. Probably more than you would care to hear. Then again, if you don't care...
US News Article | Reuters.com you don't care.

TC Consulting Firm Offers Advice on Offshoring
Lest we need more proof that this is a big business.
Sea of change spurs debate The consutling firm iprofiled is 8-9 employees and does 1M-10M in revenue each year. Methinks it's closer to the latter.

Willing to Relocate?
Since starting this blog, I've repeatedly stated three central themes as to how you might stay employed in the tech industry:

1) be willing to learn
2) be willing to solve problems
3) be willing to go where the work is.

Now on point #3, I gues this next story
Job seekers look to India - Mar. 12, 2004 isn't what I had in mind.

Where the Rubber Meets the Road - Let the Buyer Decide
This story caught my eye. Beacon Journal | 03/13/2004 | Online lender lets borrower opt to avoid offshoring and before I started reading the story, I thought this would be about a successful as the "Made in the USA" campaign that we heard so much about 20 years ago. Then only a few paragraphs into it, I found this,

Customers who choose the offshore option get faster service -- as much as two days faster.

And that appears to matter: In the first six weeks of the program, 85 percent of E-Loan customers have opted for offshore processing, versus the 15 percent who've chosen the U.S.-based service.

I'm not surprised. We all want our own jobs to be safe from the effects of lower wages, but as consumers we want to benefit from lower wages. Are we really hypocrites at heart? Geez, some might suggest I'm starting to sound like Tom Friedman. Let the flaming begin.

Off-Shoring Your Favorite 'Net Search Engine
Yet another sign China's search engines to take on Google that after India, there are many more "India's". China is already the 2nd largest internet market in the world!

Eye on IT - Video From a Panel That Has Tried Off-Shoring
Take the following link Information resources for IT professionals - ZDNet to see some video from The Sand Hill Group's Software 2004 Conference. It's a video clip that lasts about 45 minutes. A couple of key take homes:

a panel of senior executives share their experiences and warn that the total costs of ownership can be higher than expected.

"Offshoring" is described as complicated and riddled with pitfalls.

Yep, I can see why "good" software companies are in such a hurry to do this!

JBoss Inc. To Get Tons of $$
Regular readers will know that I've become fascinated with Open Source development. Nothing currently holds my interest more than JBoss
This recent blog post is as close as it comes to a "press release" from an Open Source effort. A companion e-mail announcement signed by Marc Fleury that ended with this,

we had another record month of bookings in February. We are doing good gentlemen. We are doing good and that is thanks to your support. Pat yourselves on the back.

Hmmm, how many commercial software companies are currently saying this.

A New T-Shirt for Your Collection
Several loyal OutsourceIT readers are avid T-Shirt collectors. Well, this topic is of course hot enough to deserve a dedicated T-Shirt. Enjoy! The Register If anyone finds others, please let me know. I sense a SIG breaking out ;-)

Software Commodification
David Stutz writes a nice piece on what he believes is the critical force behind open source software...namely, "its capacity for networked date exchange of standardized commodity datatypes such as a web page, MP3 file, ..., rather than is application model or user interface. Some Implications of Software Commodification :: Open Source Directory :: OSDir.com :: Open Source Software, Reviews & News

Tom Friedman Again
TF is a busy man on our favorite subject. While I'm not sure I like what he says, I can offer nothing to refute it.
Star Telegram | 03/07/2004 | Outsourcing: Globalization 3.0

And a Slightly Less Pessimistic Note
Not huge news that the job data was disappointing again! Remember 18 months ago when economists warned about the "jobless recovery"?
Wired News: Jobs Data No Boon for Tech

I take this "encouraging" note,

"There are only certain kinds of jobs that can be outsourced," he said. "While outsourcing is going to be a continuing problem, there are going to be more and more jobs in Silicon Valley as well."

Happy Monday Folks - some Raw Numbers
Just when you thought "it" was being more upbeat, he sends along another post to what a number's game this thing really is...and the numbers they don't look good. LOOKING OFFSHORE: IMPACT ON JOBS

More Legislation Proposed - Federal Level
Previously, I have only posted on what was happennig at the state level here in Minnesota.
Lawmakers Introduce Anti-Outsourcing Bill

There Are Factors Beyond Cost?
Here's an link that rightly points out that there are factors other than cost that must be considered before Outsourcing. SmartAdvice: Cost Is Only One Factor In Outsourcing Decisions Does anyone reading this *really* think other factors are actually being considered?

IT Execs Go On The Offensive
This article is a little old, but claims that the whole rage about outsoucing/off-shoring is all a media craze.

Not really India, but Still Back-lash Aware
Then there is this piece hosted by the previously mentioned James Glassman. The author makes the following point about what the Indian government's Inter-Ministerial Working Group should do to promote outsourcing:

Get Fortune 500 companies to publicly explain the rationale behind their outsourcing. India should persuade major outsourcers like Accenture, EDS, American Express, General Electric, AT&T, Citicorp, and Bank of America to launch public relations campaigns explaining the rationale behind their outsourcing. India could draw upon the Computer Systems Policy Project, an industry consortium founded by Hewlett Packard, Intel, IBM, Dell, and NCR, which is lobbying hard against US's protectionist legislation.

"explain the rational behind their outsourcing"??? A business explain it's rationale?!?!?!?

Headlines in India
Not surprisingly, media oulets in India are picking up the "backlash" -- Full Story --

The 'Unforeseen' Peril -- or Foreseen by Some

The following Business Week article hits the nail on the head for me. As my employer constantly tries to reassure us that the key software development roles will remain in the U.S. (and while we desperately want to believe this), there is considerable un-ease. This link (and the following excerpt) points out that the un-ease is not totally unwarranted. I also liked this quote as it underscores the title of this blog.

What upset the potential backer? In large part, it was the sense that not only were the manufacturing and development services based in India, but that the company's most important knowledge -- software and engineering savvy, not to mention its development expertise -- also had departed the U.S. Says Rocci: "All the knowledge about how to do things had moved over to India." The investor's withdrawal scuttled the former employees' proposed deal to acquire AM's products business did so because he saw that outsourcing had essentially stripped the concern of perhaps the most important asset of them all -- its knowledge.

Next Stop, The Lawyers
As I have written about before, *any* white collar knowledge worker can be outsourced. Here is just one more data point.Law firm cuts rates by outsourcing to India

The Rising Boat
I've blogged on this topic before, the rising tide lifts all boats. ThisTom Friedman piece makes the point again that it's in our best interest to have the percentage of middle class rise on a global scale. Tough news when you like the way the game is played, you're winning the game, and somebody wants to change the rules.

What's up with Lou Dobb's?
A few days ago I stumbled onto Lou Dobb's list of companies that are out-sourcing. It was a friend of mine that pointed this out. Well, he certainly wasn't the only one that had noticed. About the same time, this showed up in the Wall Street Journal. I especially like this quote,

Mr. Dobbs insists he hasn't dramatically changed his tune, saying he just wants the U.S. government to study the consequences of outsourcing so it can make wise policy decisions. "I am an absolute free market capitalist, but I believe in true free markets and the importance of clear, accurate information to create free markets," he says.

Wise policy decisions....oxymoron?

A traditionally conservation columnist James Glassman is asking the same question, although he and "it" seem to be arriving at different conclusions. Glassman goes on to name Lou Dobb's list, the Dobb's Rogue Fund. He goes on to quote Adam Smith. I must say that I did read Adam Smith, but am I reminded of my favorite line from "A beautiful Mind", Smith must be revised.

The Companion Bill Hits the Minnesota State Senate
As done earlier by the Minnesota State House, the Senate introduced a bill SF 1792 The bill has been referred to State and Local Governmental Affairs committee. "it" has a contact on this committee. Stay tuned.

Outsourcing to The Emerald Isle
I had been hearing the inclusion of Ireland in the list of countries that are currently the rage du jour for outsourcing. I had not commented out the topic for several reasons:
1) Since "it" has ancestors that hale from there.
2) Since I knew nothing about it (imagine that refraining from talking about something you know nothing about)
3) Fear of being labeled a xenophobe about the far east. I have no reason to think that outsourcing to Ireland is *better* than the far east.

Although on this last point (taken together with point #1) if I had to move my family internationally, Ireland would be at the top of my list. This Computer World article points out several advantages to Ireland (Northern Ireland as well).

Beating the Drum
No surprises here, but you know that things must be getting bad for computer science as a college discipline, if we need to send somebody like Gates around on a PR tour. Microsoft, Amid Dwindling Interest, Talks Up Computing as a Career