Maybe it's because I grew up in Virginia, or because I'm a first generation American, or because I spent too many years as a member of the National Honor Society, or something; but I've never bribed anyone to do anything, even if it's cost me some business. 
Why not? I think that's an interesting question and, in my case, I think the answer is as much about value as virtue. More simply stated, if the product/service I provide can't stand on its own, then you shouldn't buy from me. How do lap dances, fridges full of steaks, and kickbacks add value to my company's business offerings? I don't care what other people do to win business; I need to make sure that the services I provide stand on their own. I like to believe that the people I partner with operate in a similar fashion.
So why am I writing about this on an ECM blog? Because yesterday it was all over the press that the U.S. Justice Department alleges that EMC provided improper payments and other things of value to systems integrators and other alliance partners on contracts with government agencies. As of this posting, a ComputerWorld article on the subject has received 309 diggs. That's a kind of popularity nobody wants.
I should note that an EMC spokesman denied the Justice department's allegations,
"EMC did not make improper payments to business partners and did not violate the False Claims Act," the company said in a statement provided to Channelweb.com. "The matters at issue in this case are historical in nature; some of the allegations relate to events nearly 10 years old. We will vigorously defend this case and the many years EMC has spent providing mission-critical information infrastructure solutions to the U.S. government."
and that analysts seem to think that, even if EMC is found guilty, the company won't be barred from doing business with the government; it will simply have to pay fines.
What I'd like to know is, who are the systems integrators involved in this mess and what will EMC do in the future to steer clear of such accusations?
The world, and the US specifically, is full of such great technological innovation (think Twitter, Google, Wordpress, Linkedin, FaceBook, Etsy...). Let's let our products and services stand for themselves. Let's let competition encourage us to improve our offerings. Let's learn to sell on the merits of our products and services and always keep our hands above the table.
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