IBM takes a lot of heat. Their diverse offerings and growth-by-acquisition business strategy means they have a staggering amount of competition in the marketplace. It also means they know when to be aggressive. Here are a few things to consider as you purchase or renew your IBM solutions:

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I recently came across an interesting article on a war being waged between VMware and Microsoft. According to RW Baird, more than 25 percent of VARs expect the hypervisor category to be the scene of the most aggressive price pressure within IT in 2012.?

? Below are a few things to consider -- especially if you are renewing your Microsoft EA or VMware licensing agreement, or purchasing a hypervisor for the first time:

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Transnational shipping is an integral part of the modern world economy, approximately 5% of the total value, and the cost and availability of shipping has direct effects on consumers around the world. Ocean-going shipping is the preeminent method of trade between nations with the majority of goods traded carried by sea.

Since the economic crash, the cost of shipping has mainly increased due to demand and the rising cost of fuel. This has climbed steadily for the past couple years to the point where many firms have altered their supply chains in order to remain competitive (mainly by reducing the number of hubs they use).

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Two weeks ago, I shared five IT spending mistakes retailers should avoid in 2012. But, with IT spending on the rise, you can bet there are several more pitfalls that will challenge retailers to keep their budgets in line and their initiatives on track. Here are four more:

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Retailers will be increasing their IT spending in 2012 at a rate higher than many other industries. Why? Advancements in mobile shopping and customer experience delivery, as well as a need to maintain and refresh infrastructure, have shifted customer expectations and the competitive landscape.

With IT spending on the rise, retail IT and sourcing professionals should avoid a few costly mistakes as they forge new vendor relationships and manage new ones:

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If you haven't read Network World's article on "Gartner Predictions for 2012: More Cloud, Consumerization, Loss of IT Control," you should take a few minutes to check it out. The meat of this article is devoted to trends and predictions related to the usual suspects (cloud, mobile, security). But, what really struck me was the following observations on IT spend management:

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Hewlett Packard's enterprise business is booming, thanks to an explosion in corporate data volumes and high demand for end-user computing refreshes. Unfortunately, many enterprises are at risk for paying higher than fair market value for these purchases. If your business plans to purchase new servers, storage, laptops or desktops in 2012, be sure to answer the following questions:

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In Jim Collins' recent book, "Great by Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos and Luck -- Why Some Thrive Despite Them All," he explores how some companies are able to rise to greatness amidst market upheavals. He also shares that uncertainty is here to stay -- a truth that must dictate the way businesses operate moving forward (see excerpt here).

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Last week, I shared some thoughts on how and why companies are paying too much for Cisco's SmartNet support offering. If you didn't have a chance to read it before the holiday, check it out. Unfortunately, SmartNet is not the only area where companies are overspending. Here are three assumptions that you should avoid as you plan your Cisco spending in 2012:

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