A recent NY Times article discussed how HP is staying strong in a softening technology market by having a strong global presence.

While the article notes that Cisco, IBM & Network Appliances have reported American corporations “tightening their purse strings when it comes to technology spending” it fails to note that these tightened budgets represent an opportunity for the refurbished market. Refurbished equipment provides a way to extend a tight budget – giving those decreased dollars more purchasing power. In the Times defense, this isn’t the point of the article – but I’d like to see a follow up business piece investigating this shift: are corporations really buying less or are they buying the same but spending less doing it?