-- if you find yourself responding to technology providers like they were tele-callers, then you might want to pause and re-look your engagement strategy. Sure, the economic environment is difficult and the business challenges formidable, however, tough times also create incredible opportunities for pruning operational cost and laying a foundation for future growth.

Ultimately the choice is yours -- hunker down and wait for the storm to pass or go ahead and significantly change the direction of your vendor relationship. Remember, everything is negotiable these days.

While CIOs typically re-negotiate contracts annually, this year sees a slightly different playing field, with both vendors and user enterprises feeling the frost of the economic slowdown.

According to IDC, IT spending worldwide will grow by only 2.6 percent in 2009, much lower than its previous forecast of 5.9 percent growth.

A study from The Corporate Executive Board points out that 67 percent of IT organizations are putting non-essential projects on hold and 57 percent are reducing their use of consultants and contractors. But amid the gloom, there's a silver lining -- at least for CIOs. IT leaders can't remember the last time they could push their vendors this hard.