Under pressure

摘要

Andy Crowder, GO of Central Florida Investments, says he is in a better position than his peers to ride out the depressed economy He's always had to justify his investments to his company president, which has let Crowder keep a tight lid on IT spending. The Orlando company is a holding entity for Westgate Resorts, which manages 1,200 U.S. time-share properties. CF1 has boosted its number of time-share properties by 30% to 40% in the past two years, and it increased its IT staff by 17% in 2002 to the current roster of 123 employees. Crowder is taking advantage of the downturn and gets more for his bucks, while many of his peers are having their purses snapped shut. "The down economy allows us to acquire technolog at lower cost," he says. Just as Crowder has had to justify investments, his peers at other firms are now under increased pressure to do the same, according to the findings of Gartner Executive Programs' (EXP) 2003 CIO Agenda.