Nickname: Change

Review: It is all part of capitalism, my friends. Profits and margins rule. I worked for 7 years at IBM before I was laid off, and I explored all options for six months. Then decided to move to India, as the IT majors were moving their business there in a big way. Salaries in India are rising at 10%-13% annually. Slowly things will move from here also. What I have found is that Indian IT is more focused on quality and customer satisfaction than in the US. Surprising?. It is fun to work with people half your age, who are young and dynamic and full of zeal, who are qualified. I have accepted it as a reality so have no regrets. I have started liking India in the last 4 years, and think I will retire here. There are many like me here who are working in this global model.

Date reviewed: May 4, 2006 5:34 PM

Nickname: observer

Review: Although I can relate to IT professionals who are frustrated over a tightening job market in the US, there are practical benefits to the economy as a whole. If company can outsource any kind of labor and save money then it can offer products and services at lower prices and higher margins. This gives the company an edge on its competitors and the added revenue generated can be used to hire other professionals such as sales reps, marketing reps, or increased research and development. The outsourcing of factory workers' jobs has helped to produce consumer products that cost much less. This is good for all Americans.

Date reviewed: Apr 30, 2006 5:44 AM

Nickname: Honesty

Review: I, too, work for Keane. Outsourcing is a joke. It is a temporary, bottom-line fix that, many have learned, isn't worth the headaches and poor quality. All of the business knowledge walks out the door when the work is outsourced. It is simply a way for a select few to get rich and move on before the s--t hits the fan.

Date reviewed: Apr 5, 2006 6:41 PM

Nickname: toollman

Review: I too work for Keane and I have watched this outsourcing trend for the past 3 years. In the above you mention that we need to attract more young ones into STEM education. However, I ask you, how we are supposed to do this since the youth have watched their parents lose jobs even though they have a high level of education. I speak of this from a personal viewpoint. My son was pursuing an IT career but has decided to go into the public service as a fireman since he has seen many of my friends lose their jobs and my job is in question all of the time! So I again ask what incentive do our youth have to get STEM education?

Date reviewed: Apr 3, 2006 8:35 PM

Nickname: Ariel

Review: I currently work for Keane, and I've seen all these changes first hand. In response, I chose to alter my own career path, so that I can stay employed (either by Keane or by someone else). However, I have noticed an alarming trend with outsourced development. These $10,000-a-year resources in India will develop exactly what they are told to develop. No questions asked. Without proper oversight, the changes being requested go into production and affect the customer's bottom line when they don't work correctly. Management needs to remember that just because the developers are cheaper offshore, they are not truly designers and engineers (no matter what their title). It takes years for a software engineer to become proficient, not just a degree. By outsourcing all jobs to India and China, the U.S. is losing the people with the experience and know-how that make IT work. In many organizations, outsourced IT is "just getting by."

Date reviewed: Mar 29, 2006 4:32 PM

Nickname: Corporate Babble

Review: I have been employed at Keane for six years. I've watch many jobs leave our office and get sent to India. The last project that left our office had the pleasure of cross-training employess from India. As quoted from an employee who lost his job becuase of this transition, "It's like training somebody on how to please your spouse, knowing that he/she will be handed over." Luckily I'm on a project where our client tried the "India thing." It didn't work for them. Richard, I'm sure your salary is many fold higher than mine. If our India partners are so bright and cheap, why isn't your position filled in India for a fraction of your salary? It would save Keane money.

Date reviewed: Mar 28, 2006 2:40 PM

Nickname: No winning

Review: Every day more of my IT colleagues lose their jobs to Indian workers who they had to train. Are these foreign workers smarter or more skilled than the Americans they replace? Hardly. In fact, the only way they can function as replacements is to usurp the specialized knowledge and relationships that the American workers have fostered in order to be successful in their own careers. Even at that there are ongoing problems with communications (language), work ethic (they're not very resourceful), and literalism. Garnik, I know you're only trying to further your own career by beating this drum. There's no winning for American IT workers. Some of us will survive, but many more will not. As individuals we can't save ourselves by refusing to train our replacements, but it would be nice if CEO's and Senators realized that by teaching all our competencies to foreigners, we are pissing away the only leadership position that America has left.

Date reviewed: Mar 27, 2006 4:03 PM

Nickname: Mr. Hockey

Review: We recently heard Richard Garnick give us his speech of One Keane better known as One India by the development employees, people who actually made Keane the successful company that it is today. Where is the ethical responsibility with with modern businesses? With overflowing pockets, greed takes over.

Date reviewed: Mar 27, 2006 12:11 PM

Nickname: I

Review: I work for Keane (Rich Garnicks firm). Rick is turning the firm on its head in an effort to reposition Keane for the Global economy. That is a good thing from Keane management's perspective. However, from the perspective of the traditional U.S.-based Keane employee, there are a lot of downsides. You can guess what they are. My response to this is that I am planning to leave Keane and start a business that provides high end Web/e-commerce services for small and medium-sized businesses. This is a big market that is not about to go offshore. That being said, I have had discussions with several Indian firms regarding the utilization of their services in selected, labor intensive tasks. That is my personal response to globalization.

Date reviewed: Mar 26, 2006 2:49 AM

Nickname: Sourcerer

Review: I don't like what this trend represents any more than anyone else in this country. But you know what, I may not make the global competition rules, but I sure as hell can play by them. Instaed of trying to reverse what is obviously not reversable, I say let's take what this trend can give us and go out and put this model to work for us and our families. I'm sure Jack Welch didn't necessarily like everything about the market place he played in either. But like Joe Montana would do so well, he took what the field gave him and parlayed it into a very prosporous hall of fame career. If we think out of the box and find ways to leverage this obvious trend, we can put it to work for our own gains. And I sure would like to see our State and Local Government's putting incentives inplace to encourage this type of behavior. Hell, it should be part of the "Patriot" Act!

Date reviewed: Mar 23, 2006 7:07 PM