The servers did not get moved to Canada due to saving money. In fact it's actually costing us a little more to run in Canada. The move was predicated on getting newer & better equipment.

There's no cost cutting around World Community Grid and we are very appreciative that IBM continues to fund World Community Grid. However, like everyone else is experiencing, the living large days are gone for now.

You're absolutely right. Over 21 years in IBM, I worked with lots of great folks in Canada as well as countries the world over. The world inside IBM and outside IBM have some very real differences though. The focus on the bottom line and on reducing expenses within IBM are extreme to say the least. Based of bbover3's post, the WCG server move was a very VERY rare exception. Like many companies, IBM went big into "off-shoring" and it succeeded - from a cost viewpoint. However, its customers are smart too. Contracts started including requirements that support had to be out of the US (for US customers). The cheaper offshore labor couldn't be used. This is where IBM decided to redefine the skill levels required for some of its jobs. That has no connection to the actual skill levels of the people in that location/country. It just means they can pay less for the same job. My entire former organization in IBM is being replaced with folks being paid half of what we were to do the same job. It's what cost me my job 14 months before I would have been able to have full retirement benefits in any case. This is the reality in today's IBM. This is the pressure on all parts of the company including the folks working on WCG. They have fared remarkably well, enough that one has to believe they have a highly placed friend (for now). IBM is losing lots of skill, knowledge and experience and it's not limited to the US. It's all in the name of the bottom line. Sorry I wasn't clearer the first time.