It’s no secret that this sour economy has driven many companies to the point of shutting their doors. Those that survive are the ones that are efficient at trimming unnecessary expenses while still providing the high quality goods and services that consumers expect.

This is a tricky balancing act, but one that is essential to weathering the storm and coming out healthy on the other side. Chances are you’ve already had to make some hard decisions such as laying off part of your workforce; measures that you continue to take from this point on can still be significant while not taking a human toll. Here are some money-saving tips that are relatively painless, but that can make a huge difference.

When Replacing IT and Other Equipment, Go For Used

Sometimes newer doesn’t always mean better. However, some companies still insist on jettisoning their barely used hardware on a regular basis in favor of getting the “newest and the best.” As a result of this practice by other businesses, your own office can take advantage of the peripheral benefits by buying up used IT equipment. Vendors who specialize in this used equipment are careful to refurbish , pre-screen, and maintenance-qualify their products for your satisfaction and peace of mind. Used IT and other products available might include:

–PCs
–Storage and used tape drives
–Servers
–Peripherals and printers
–Mainframes
–Network equipment
–Telephone systems, and more.

Alter Your IT Powering Practices

Making just a few changes on your office’s computer power usage will lower your utility bills significantly. All computers should operate on “sleep mode” in order to decrease power usage during periods of inactivity. In addition, computers should be de-powered overnight: this act alone will lower bills while adding longevity to the life of your equipment.

Cut Down on Printing

In this age of scanning and electronic communications and document transfer, there is no longer the need to print out volumes of hard copies. You can save a significant amount of money by making your office as paperless as possible. Not only will you cut down on expenses, but you will free up valuable storage space and increase the speed and efficiency of your workflow.

These are just a few suggestions on how a few changes can make a big difference to a company’s bottom line and cash flow. IT systems and equipment are essential to just about every business nowadays. Rethinking what types of IT equipment you buy and how you use them to maximize efficiency while decreasing power usage may just be the key to keeping your business afloat in these tough times.

Gaines Capital Corporation (http://www.gainescapitalcorp.com/) a one-stop resource for new and used computer, used tape drives, Datacom and Telecom equipment. Art Gib is a freelance writer.