IT Consulting
Odd I just wrote a paper on this very subject and was glad to see yours covered many of the same subjects I covered. Good IT Service is not hard to find. Great IT service where the consultant knows to keep that special balance between the employees and the management is hard to find. These are useually the most experienced professionals in the field and demand a higher price. You hear the phrase repeating, you get what you pay for. Not always the case in IT, seems many get things they do not want in IT services. It pays to try a consultant out and if it gets quiet and seems you no longer need them, this is when you have a "Great" IT consultant" and may need them the most. You will soon find out why when you change services or let them go. Remember to appreciate those that work for you and not against you. I see it played out over and over where the company decides they can use the skill set of someone internal, after all things are going great. The situation may change slow or quickly, but it will change. The IT person is good, but then mangement is dealing with users, users are not as satisfied or respect for management has lessened, usually from a source within. Money seems to be the answer for good techs. This way they satisfy the user like it is christmas. But in the end the overwhelming amount of situations that keep stacking up and the balance becomes unbalanced catch's up. So they are back at making that decission again, outsource or re-hire. A good tech is easy to find.