by Patrick Stone

Created on: January 20, 2009   Last Updated: January 27, 2009

With economic times creating difficult budget decisions for companies these days; some companies have already started implementing ways to save money. Taking a look at all of your IT servers is a great start.

The Colorado Department of Human Services refreshed their server infrastructure. Which saved the department over $141,000 in maintenance costs over a 2-year period. The result of this paid for the server refresh. The CDHS eliminated 70+ servers by converting to virtual machines hosted by 4 servers. Along with this the CDHS centralized local server provided edge site services using iFolder, iPrint, and Portal technologies.

Creating a backup utility combined with iFolder eliminated the cost in tape drives, software, media, and support.

The CDHS used an open source Liferay Portal and removed the Novell extend platform they were using. By making this change the reduced the cost of software licensing by $80,000.

Removed GroupWise e-mail post offices to a primary data center. Then converted their users to Web Access for e-mail. This reduced licensing costs also.

Some government agencies are using mobile technologies to increase production and eliminate unnecessary spending.

Agencies extended Local Area Networks (LAN) through a "virtual information cubicle" to employees in the field. Maintaining secure connectivity and reliability.

Using applications such as e-citations, provided new revenue generation opportunities.

This resulting in facilities decreasing as enterprise employees become mobile. Employees working at a location or out of their vehicles.

By using commercial wide area networks, agencies lowered capital expenses and operating expenses.

Benefits they experienced by going mobile: Improving speed and quality of responses, they were aloud to access data from remote locations, real time reports-permits reducing human error, share video and data at increased speed. This allowed employees to function on the same systems and applications as employees in the office. This lead to enhanced response, gaining operational efficiencies, and increasing productivity.

Standardizing common device platforms across agencies lowered training costs, maintenance, spares, and upgrades.

Being able to use real time asset management and the ability to update inventory databases immediately also cut costs.

Implementing new management tools can also create solutions to a budget crisis.

Business Process Management Systems provides a framework to achieve goals of improving agility and operational

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