Heh, I've given more advice in my life already than ten men should give in their lifetimes. Advice is all well and good, but you don't really need it m8. Based on what you wrote in response to the questions posed, it's apparent that you can arrive at your own answers. Just invest some time and focus. The weather's better now in most places in the Northern hemisphere; I'd advise finding a nice, comfortable spot without too many distractions, relaxing, and pondering this opportunity further.

I have had the DAY of the year today as far as hyperworkostressumania goes, so forgive me if I disjoint here and there.

Before I forget: details are important. Gather as much intelligence as you can before you have to make your decision. Information-based decisions tend to be more sound than those made from the hip. Acting on a "gut" feeling is risky. This is all the info you have right now. Tap some resources. Network. How much time do you have before you have to decide? Make good use of it. This sounds like a big opportunity for someone sprinting off the block, and worth the investment.

Being away from your girlfriend can indeed be a significant risk. Then again ... well, heh, nevermind. I was thinking of the pics my UK TW friend Trajanus posted with his Chinese girlfriends. He's entrepreneuring in Chengdu right now, silk business, I believe. Come to think of it, he might be a good resource in regard to UK businessmen doing business in China. He's a member here.

Ok. So it's not a software development project per se, but the ongoing support of a specific, production IT service--security updates via a software product. Specific is good. I think it's safe to surmise that Customer expectations will ultimately depend on how effective they perceive their security to be in the areas for which you are responsible. I emphasize 'perceive' because I think it's an important point: managing perceptions goes hand in hand with managing expectations.

A big question remains: how big? Answers should help you gauge the frequency and magnitude of the security issues you and your teams will be commited to address in two-month intervals. They should give you an idea of how many actual people your Customer Service team will have to support. They should describe the infrastructure upon which your product operates, and which your product protects. These, balanced with the human and financial resources made available to you, will play a big part in determining your success over two years.

Speaking of teams, there is much type about managing, but what does it take to lead others well? This is important in the scenario you describe. Be wary of accepting a scenario where "how big?" is really big and you don't have the teams to handle it, or they aren't skilled enough and the time and funding for good training isn't available (emphasis good; there's a buttload of crap training out there).

A "huge" power supplier ... with complex distributed systems which your product protects? How well-architected and maintained is the Customer's IT infrastructure? This affects its susceptability to security breach. The nature of their competitors affects this too, aside from the common security threats. If a security problem is caused by an infrastructure weakness which your product can't address, but your customers don't understand that and expect you to address it ... well, I think you can see where I'm going with that.

Is the product that was delivered solely a security product, or does it have other functionality? If it does, who supports/manages the other functions, and how do they integrate with security and updates? If you have to depend on and coordinate with other teams not under your control, the politics become quite a bit more complicated. This increases scope and can directly affect your timelines, and consequently, the quality of your deliverables. Here, co-service provider partnerships become a very important thing to manage.

Based on what I've experienced, whether managing a software development project or directing IT services, the technical challenges are almost always outweighed by the challenges presented by managing relationships--with your command, customers (at various levels), co-service providers, and your crew. Here, a language barrier can be a huge roadblock. Hopefully, the groups can speak and understand English well enough, and translators are available. Still, expect at least initial frustration given how critical communication is in this field.

Realistically, you won't be able to know half of this before you'll make your decision. But anything you can learn along these lines and lines like these will aid you significantly in making a good decision. Gather your intelligence. And don't forget to balance all this business concern with your health and happiness. Nothing is more important than that.

My Gah, I am rambling along tonight, worse than usual. I'd better wrap for now, and get some sleep. I'll check in again. Fruitful gathering and pondering to you.