TUG of war: User group not backward in coming forward

TUG's annual survey takes a global look at how companies are coping with the latest, and in some cases, not the greatest technologies.

First up for a bashing is the ASP model. It seems the much-hyped 'rent your apps' concept has been trundling along on wobbly wheels for some time now, and TUG confirms that users are just not taking to the idea. Those that have jumped on the bandwagon have quickly jumped back off again, fed up with high costs and a lack of control.

IT pros have also been less than impressed by sales pitches asking them to 'plug into their organisation's IQ'? Yes, knowledge management also hits the hate list, again because of spiralling costs and a serious shortfall between what vendors claim it will do, and what it actually does.

The industry may claim it's still submerged in a skills crisis, but employers are far more concerned about staff productivity. When it comes to surfing the net, bosses are in a Catch 22 situation. Take away web access and you avoid the criticism of online time-wasting, but you also cut off the chance for employees to surf for information that will ultimately help the business.

No easy answer to that one, and now things are even more complicated by the increasing popularity of online chat software such as Instant Messenger. Some say it's a great productivity tool, with the major advantage being that it kills-off the very unpopular sport of 'telephone tag'. But the Mary Whitehouses in every organisation aren't so keen.

TUG's survey may be one of the first of the new millennium, but it seems some things never change. IT pros will always have to walk the political tightropes of their organisation, and vendors still don't listen.