Wide area network design, server virtualization, data center design and cloud infrastructure design -- especially hybrid cloud strategies. Those are among the skills several very big companies are looking for. These companies are all involved in outsourcing, and that's a growing business. Worldwide IT outsourcing revenue totaled $246.6 billion in 2011, a 7.8 percent increase from 2010, says Gartner. IBM remains in the driver’s seat, accounting for 10.9 percent of all worldwide outsourcing revenue. HP is growing more slowly. CSC and Accenture follow. As these companies continue to deliver the services and infrastructures that are changing the landscape of IT. Whether you like the notion of IT, they need talent — specifically American talent. These aren't offshore jobs. That’s because international competition is heating up. India-based service providers, as well as providers rooted in cloud-based services, delivered the highest growth rates in 2011, and their generally lower costs are sure to attract customers. Given HP’s recent announcement of huge layoffs, it will be especially interesting see how CEO Meg Whitman positions the company to take advantage of this profitable slice of the future. As she said in March, we need to align our portfolio to deliver a new generation of capabilities. We see a once-in-a-generation chance to define the future of technology and position HP as a leader for decades to come.” HP’s outsourcing competitors are thinking the exact same thing.

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