CIO Asks VARs To Take Less Money

The CIO's hope is that his channel partners would understand the situation his company is in -- putting in new infrastructure and an ERP solution -- with the expectation that if they give him a break now, he'll get the chance to return the favor when the economy recovers.

"We talked to those we felt were partners," said the CIO, who asked not to be identified for competitive reasons. "I did this back before [the economy] even got bad. We're going to spend a lot of money and we're looking for strategic partners."

Luckily, the VARs -- about four or five of them -- were responsive, as they understand they need to do more right now to help customers than they have in the past, he said. "They understand the time and what it takes to build a long-term relationship," he said. It is something he intends to reciprocate when things get better.

Among the renegotiated items, the CIO said the hourly rate he's paying one solution provider was discounted by 25 percent. "They're going to be there for hundreds of days -- that will add up to over six figures," he said.

Other "quick hit" cost savings will come from lower cell phone charges and hardware purchases, he said.

The CIO shared his experience during a roundtable session at Everything Channel's Midsize Enterprise Summit in Miami, where he advised other midsize CIO attendees to do the same as a means to both save money and foster better long-term relationships, he said.

"If you don't ask, you won't get a response," he said.