IT professionals are bound to feel the effects of the credit crisis sooner or later, whether or not the U.S. economy experiences a recession.

CIOs may well be reluctant to cut jobs, but they are still going to have to work with their chief financial officers to find places that expenses can be cut. However, cutbacks don't need to be a nuisance; they can also be an opportunity for an employee to get themselves aligned with the projects that are currently their organization's top priorities.

In fact, IT professionals who get themselves on the right projects before a recession—defined as two consecutive quarters of falling gross domestic product­—hits are likely to find themselves in a better position should one occur.

"The best thing you can do is find a way to get on cost-cutting projects, and be as central to helping your business survive as possible," Forrester analyst Alex Cullen told eWEEK.

Read the full article at eWEEK.