E-businesses are putting tech spending and other elements of their organizations on a much shorter leash in an effort to get ready for 2002, analysts say.

Experts say that strategic and operational preparations by an e-commerce company for 2002 should have been set in motion well before today. In the waning weeks of 2001, companies that have not already done so must prepare themselves for the possibility of more economic pain ahead, as most experts believe current fiancial conditions could last well into the second quarter of 2002. In fact, the economy could actually get worse, depending on how consumers react to news on unemployment, biohazards and the war on terrorism. With all the uncertainty ahead, analysts told the E-Commerce Times that the best defense for companies is to get their own houses in order -- to shape up everything from spending priorities to security and customer retention programs.