When projects fail, why do CIOs refuse to name names?

If you are like most CIOs, you've seen a project or two crash and burn, and you've seen good reasons to blame the vendors. But, if you are like most CIOs, you tend not to blame them out loud. CIO magazine's Thomas Wailgum wants to know why.

"Why the secrecy? Is your longtime Oracle sales rep really going to give you that great a deal because you and he are 'good pals' and have golfed together?" Wailgum asks. "Doubtful. Is Salesforce.com going to cut you off if you grumble about downtime?"

With more options in IT products and services than ever before, nobody should really be feeling too locked in, Wailgum argues. CIOs hold all the cards and "vendors should literally quake at the mere mention of a CIO's negative comment on a website or in a magazine," he writes.  

I'm curious too about the seemingly sacred IT cows. What are we journalists, working outside the IT department, missing? Let me know.

For more:
- see Thomas Wailgum's post [1] at CIO

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