Technology Paradise Lost: Why Companies Will Spend Less to Get More from Information Technology

by Erik Keller

Debunking many of today's myths about the future prospects and growth of information technology, this book uses a variety of well-accepted economic, technological, and market data to come to the contrary conclusion that IT is poised to shrink and not grow. Discussed is how this conclusion does not imply that companies will slow their use of technology but rather all aspects will become much less expensive, thus halting traditional growth patterns. The argument is made that over the next three to five years, the same price performance gains that have been seen in the hardware area will be seen in software, external services, and labor spending. Outlined are the factors causing this change, which include open source software, Microsoft, offshore labor and services, new software tools to better manage IT assets, and the Internet. The book also argues that buyers of technology have become much savvier about its use and will be spending less overall to get more from their investments. With these changes in mind, survival strategies for buyers and sellers of technology to help them prepare for this long-term change in growth are prescribed.

260 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2004

About the author

Over the last 20 years, Erik Keller has worked with thousands of people of all ages and types using horticulture and therapeutic techniques to help them deal with physical, cognitive, social and emotional challenges. Venues have ranged from special-needs schools, to prisons, to nursing facilities to private homes. Certifications from the University of Connecticut as a Master Gardener in 2000 and the New York Botanical Garden in Horticultural Therapy in 2009 has given Keller a strong base of knowledge from which he has been able to help his clients. He is a member of the American Horticultural Therapy Association, the Northeast Horticultural Therapy Network as well as the Connecticut Master Gardeners Association. He writes extensively about the healing power of horticultural therapy on a variety of social media platforms and on his website www.grohappy.com.

For over a decade, Keller has been running a twice-monthly horticultural therapy (HT) program at Ann’s Place, a not-for-profit facility helping those with cancer located in Danbury, CT. Since the emergence of COVID-19, Keller has developed a wide variety of virtual and hybrid HT sessions for clients. He also manages and maintains the grounds at Ann’s Place, which he designed over a decade ago to accommodate therapeutic needs of the client base.

Keller is also a commissioner for the Ridgefield Conservation Commission, which manages and maintains over 3,100 acres of open space in Ridgefield, CT. In the past, he has run horticultural therapy programs at senior living and nursing facilities as well as run programs at Green Chimneys, a school for special-needs children in Brewster, NY.