Obviously, when there's a change to any product it often means people will need more training - and that means additional work for trainers. But we can only take advantage of that situation if our own people are up on the changes. What is different, Castle adds, is the speed of change, and the magnitude of the impact it is having. For instance, as soon as a vendor announces it is dropping a product, or quitting a market altogether, many orders placed for that vendor's product will likely be cancelled by customers concerned about being left unsupported. If the original order was placed because the customer already had relevant skills within its workforce, then widescale reskilling will be needed - and needed quickly.
Concomitant costs multiply.
The IT training budget needs to be revised upwards - sometimes quite significantly, and IT staff unwilling to see their skillsets progress in an involuntarily direction may decide to move elsewhere, adding to the recruitment burden. The company still has a huge installed base, and 3Com-specific skills will be in demand for some time to come. However, any organisation must look for a new vendor to develop their medium and long term network strategy, and this will require technical and management effort - all of which costs. It highlights the fact that when organisations select equipment they must look beyond the cost of the equipment - and many commonly do. For our latest press releases, please see our Press Office .