Cost Cutting, Virtually

>>Companies are exploring all avenues to cut expenses as the economy struggles, yet some of the best cost-saving solutions are the simplest—facilitated by technology.

Hold meetings online
Technology can help a company expand well beyond its backyard and help it control costs as it reaches out to new markets. Carlos Fernandes, managing director of Naples-based ISOOSI Communications, relies on Web-based meeting software to keep in touch with clients as far as New York and Boston. For his company’s online meetings, Fernandes prefers Citrix Systems’ GoToMeeting.com. Meeting Center from WebEx and LiveMeeting from Microsoft offer similar services. “If it weren’t for GoToMeeting, I’d be spending probably $2,000 to $3,000 a month on airfare,” says Fernandes. “The only way that we can really have those relationships with Fortune 500 clients is through software like GoToMeeting,” and the poor economy makes it essential that he take every advantage to attract and keep business, he adds.

Outsource your servers
Virtualization makes it possible for the work of many servers to be done on just one machine, and helps companies reduce energy and equipment costs. File, e-mail and Web servers were hosted separately in the past, but software virtualization now allows them to be consolidated.

Companies such as The Client Server in Bonita Springs can host off-site servers for multiple companies, making sure their systems run smoothly and are well maintained in the long run, says IT account manager Fay Schnitzlein. Instead of one big, upfront investment, clients can now turn their server costs into a monthly bill, much like a utility. “It also increases their productivity,” she says, “because now they have remote accessibility to all of their work no matter where they are, as long they have an Internet connection.”