Brian Rowe of Cobra technologies in Tallahassee, FL says, "We're in a specialized market, document imaging, so we're not one of the types of Partners that use technology competing against WebSphere. We don't see a need for WebSphere in our work; it's not in our niche. Our applications are being pushed to the Web using Domino."

Will you be adding WebSphere projects in the next 12 months?
The responses broke down as follows:

• 60% of Notes professionals are adding WebSphere projects;
• 20% said no;
• 10% remain uncertain as to whether they'll add WebSphere projects;
• 10% said they probably would.

Some Lotus Business Partner firms are choosing not to add WebSphere technology despite the fact that it's causing them to lose projects as clients look to WebSphere rather than Domino for solutions. Zach Herbert, Technical Lead for BTCI in Minneapolis, MN offers some blunt feedback saying, "The marketing hype for WebSphere is fantastic, but every technology person I have talked to hates it."

Megan Hughes is Marketing Coordinator for ComputerWorks in Albany, NY, which developed and markets InterTrac, a Domino workflow solution. "[InterTrac] utilizes Domino to access the Web quite well, and ComputerWorks has not had to consider WebSphere, as Domino provides everything we need," said Hughes.

Do you expect economic recovery in the third Quarter of this year?
The responses broke down as follows:

• 25% answered yes;
• 25% answered no;
• 50% of respondents said they're already seeing a recovery or have not felt a negative economic impact.

Richard L. (Bud) Brasier, President and CEO of Colorado-based Emerging Technology Solutions, LLC, sees a brightening economic picture. "I just returned from Lotus DevCon and talked with many of my compatriots there," said Brasier. "Myself and some of the others have already begun to see significant improvements in the second Quarter; we have a lot of new projects in the pipeline."

Do you think IT budgets will open up before year's end?
The responses broke down as follows:

• 50% answered yes to this crucial question;
• 25% said no;
• 25% said they hadn't experienced a tightening in the first place.

Jim Carzoli, President of Compupro in Marietta, GA, is enjoying the dynamic business several other software firms are seeing. "With the advent of WebSphere and the deployment of iNotes, revenue has increased tremendously," said Carzoli.

The votes are in, and the news appears good. Websphere is definitely becoming an entrenched player in the Notes arena, but Notes projects remain plentiful for the most part. Savvy Notes professionals are working to incorporate WebSphere into their skill sets. To learn more about improving your skill sets, be sure to check out my article, "Tap free resources to keep your knowledge and skill set current," elsewhere in this issue.

Dan Simmons is a regular Contributing Editor to DominoPower and a Lotus Notes Recruiter for Continental Search, a recruiting firm specializing in Lotus Notes & Websphere. Dan can be reached at dan@consearch.com or (410) 529-7000. Job seekers and employers are encouraged to visit Continental Search's interactive career center at http://www.consearch.com.