A Difficult Year, But ...

by Paul Harmon

I don't know of many people who really thought 2002 was a great year. Throughout most of the year, those involved in high technology -- including hardware vendors, software vendors, and IT consultants -- struggled to survive. Many didn't. By the same token, the large companies that normally buy high-technology products have largely had a poor year as well. They had tight budgets and, in many cases, layoffs. Again, many of these same companies have come close to bankruptcy or actually entered it. In the best cases, IT budgets were flat, and exciting initiatives were delayed.