Linda Leung

You feel sick to your stomach. Your palms are sweaty, and you've been up half the night with the words "Effective today, your position in the company has been terminated" swirling around in your head. When you're the manager who hires IT professionals, someday you might be called upon to fire them.

Warning: The contents of this story are not for the delicate of constitution.

According to an informal survey of 161 out of 500 attendees at the Polycom User Group show in September, nearly half said their organizations use IP technology for videoconferencing.

Andy Crowder, CIO of Central Florida Investments Inc., says he is in a better position than his peers to ride out the depressed economy. He's always had to justify his investments to his company president, which has let Crowder keep a tight lid on IT spending.

Virginia mortgage investment firm Freddie Mac Inc. is enjoying rich pickings in its ongoing quest to expand its IT workforce as resum

Virginia mortgage investment firm Freddie Mac Inc. is enjoying rich pickings in its ongoing quest to expand its IT workforce as resumes fly in from IT workers laid off from local high-tech firms such as AOL Time Warner Inc. and WorldCom Inc.

Insurance firm Travelers Property Casualty Corp. had a policy problem on its hands. The company's decentralized training strategy made it tough to effectively track course attendance and ensure curriculum was relevant for its 2,000 IT pros.

Internship programs are one of the most cost-effective ways of getting enthusiastic IT staff on board, particularly in a soft economy.