IT Spending in 2009 Looking Flat

IT end users are indicating that IT spending is going to be flat leading into 2009.  Organizations took actions to reduce expenses in the period from August to October, As the economy declined.  Cost-cutting actions included deferring equipment upgrades, cutting contractors and temps, cutting back on IT training, renegotiating vendor contracts, cutting meals/entertainment, cutting planned pay increases, cutting IT staff, canceling major projects, investigating outsourcing/offshoring, stretching out vendor payments, cutting IT staff hours, canceling software maintenance, and canceling hardware maintenance.