Do you ever feel like your system is a runaway horse and you’re the one trying to catch up with it? Trying to keep your staff up to par in a continually changing environment? Trying to inspire the staff within your organization as it goes through technological conversions and the everyday maintenance of technology? Do you ever feel like this with all the work you have to do!

The arms are all still there, but working more efficiently, and are under control. Outsourcing saves you and your company time and money, and tames the octopus (or whatever it is).

It is no secret that, in all business areas, outsourcing is becoming a way of life. Companies are doing this so they can concentrate on their core competencies, and become more efficient. All other functions are being farmed out to contracting organizations.

Application Outsourcer, from XX Global Exchange Services (XXGES), offers the right mapping and translation solution for you. Application Outsourcer is a powerful, intuitive software solution that improves your productivity by offering any-to-any data translation, platform independence and rapid implementation.

The chart below shows that jobs for PL/1, Cobol, and SmallTalk programmers are losing ground as demand for them dwindles. On the other hand, demand is growing fastest for XML/HTML, Eiffel, Perl, and Java developers. Technical Skills are in Demand

The chart below illustrates the normalized demand for each language. Here, the market growth/shrinkage is multiplied by the proportion of the market the language has. At the moment, more opportunities abound in Java and C/C++ than in any other language.

It appears as if the current demand for Windows NT, and Windows in general, far outweighs any other platform. However, Solaris and Linux both make a respectable showing. Especially since the latter has only recently received a lot of media attention. (Both UNIX and Macintosh normalized demands are based on regression calculations, not on actual figures.)

The chart below illustrates the changing demand in different technologies. The growth rate is greatest for ASIC-, database, CORBA-, and Internet-related skill sets. Internet-related skills are defined as positions listing Internet, Java, HTML, DHML, or XML in their job listings.

The chart below shows that the greatest demand is in Internet-related technologies. Database skills come in a respectable second. While the first is no surprise, the fact that database skills are in high demand may be.

Here are a number of things you can do to actively manage your employees: Help them learn at least one new skill per year and have them use it so that the experience is real. Have them network with others in their environment to create forums in which they can find solutions to problems that might exist within the organization. By having a say in the operations of an organization, employees are more likely to work more efficiently. Be opportunistic. Learn about what is hot and what is not, and help your employees maintain their skills in what is hot. Have your employees find a mentor, and encourage them to become a mentor.

You and your employees know change is coming. Always be prepared. Outsource, train yourself, train your employees and remain flexible. Treat the changes that come as opportunities to see new vistas and, lastly, enjoy the journey. Encourage your employees do the same. Don’t get eaten alive!