As the economy continues to slide and pressure mounts for all companies to cut their expenses, pressure on IT mounts accordingly (and appropriately). In the spirit of constructive action, we'll begin a series of postings here on how IT can save money. Some ideas will be obvious to some of you, and some will require some thought and broad vision. Nevertheless, I invite comments and ideas.

Times are tough. The talking heads are going at it on CNN, and as of this writing, Congress is working on the big bailout following the greed-generated failure of several large financial institutions. There’s still debate about whether there’s a recession, but regardless, it feels like one, and my clients and prospects (and my consulting colleagues’ clients and prospects) are behaving as if it’s here.

IT is expensive. In dollar and cents terms, I suspect most companies would rather not have it. Unless you’re selling buggy whips on a small scale, avoiding it won’t be possible.