It's been a while since the last update and more things have come into perspective. The idea of being able to handing off application support to a pool of resources who would provide 24 hour support and documentation that would be shared is a tempting one, but the pitfalls and the lies pull it all apart. Have we hired programmers or analysts? Programmers need to be fed what to do. Analysts understand what to do and the best way to do it. Have we engaged people who understand the corporate environment (servers/network) and it's policies? Have we found people who can communicate well in a language we are stuck with? Have we recruited people who actively pursue finishing a project or do they work on a timeclock with separate projects and just wait for the next question to ask so they can stop their clock and move on to the next project? In effect, dragging each project out, sometimes for years. Are the people we have now full of integrity? Do they take responsibility for their actions? (or inactions) Will the people on our account stay for the long haul? The reality: some of these people don't know the technology they are using. Some make mistakes and lie and cover up to save face. Some can't use basic English. Some want to push into inappropriate technologies so they can add skills to their resume. Some have no clue what the business is or what the network topology is. Some really do not understand how to engage with other vendors or even to escalate cases. Some have no sense of urgency when the severity level is high. Overall, it's frustrating. I do their job as well as mine. There are the few, the proud, the skilled. I count it a privilege to work with them. It's unfortunate that they have been forced to move back to their home country because of visas not being extended.