What does $50.24 billion mean to you?

By Art Gillis

It means two things to me. The net worth of Bill Gates and the amount of money it takes for 17,823 U.S.-based financial institutions to drive their technology for one year (2005). And this is why I keep harping on tech vendors to raise their sights on the big guys. Large banks spend 73.6% of the money. Mid-tier banks spend 16.8%. And the little guys spend 9.6%. In a recent presentation by the president of a large systems integration company, the man kept referring to a message of advice to his audience - "Follow the sun." I may be wrong, but I took that to mean what another guy kept yelling to Jerry Maguire - "Show me the money."