We thought we would check in with our CIO buddy Manny Fernandez, not to be confused with another of the same name who is as popular in Boston as Bucky Dent (don't ask). (See a on what tech execs are saying about the economy.)

How's your budget process going?

Awful. I thought I had the mandate to spend 4% more than last year... but that's on hold. We used to spend about 6% on IT/communications... but it looks like it could be 4.5% to 5% this year. Management keeps making cute little comments about "sharing the pain" and "use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without". (See about the economy freezing budgets.)

Problem?

You bet. Storage is like a tapeworm; each year it takes more and more of my budget. So I do the short term cutesy things - like delaying LAN upgrades, cutting outside consulting services and virtualizing my servers. But there is a limit.