IT changes 'save firms thousands'
Wednesday November 18 2009
Businesses could save tens of thousands of euro and stave off redundancies by making simple changes to IT systems, consultants have claimed.
Switching off machines at night and cutting back on software orders could cut costs by 62,000 euro a year.
A study of the IT usage in 10,000 firms revealed almost two-thirds of workers leave computers on all night, wasting enough energy over a year to power 13 ovens.
Jon Mulligan, managing director of software firm Openplain which monitored businesses, said there were huge opportunities for savings.
"When companies are attempting to reduce costs, instead of making sweeping cuts, such as staff redundancies, there are simple measures that can save businesses thousands of euro," he said.
"Two of the biggest culprits are in relation to IT - companies need to turn off their computers and stop buying software they don't use."
In tracking IT usage Openplain found most companies only use 70pc of the software they have bought.
The firm said removing unused software would save €42,000 a year for a company with 100 staff with a further €20,000 savings on electricity bills.
Press Association
