Here are 9 top tips on how being IT savvy can help beat the business recession, courtesy of Neil Smith, REFORMIT.

1. Look at how much IT support and maintenance is currently costing you. If you employ someone in-house would it be cheaper to outsource the work? Or would keeping an IT services company on a retainer be less than the one off service charges you pay now?
2. Avoid unexpected costs by ensuring you have the latest Anti-Virus software and security systems installed and kept up-to-date. Preventative maintenance will save you money and whilst not all Malware will destroy data they generally do slow machines down and cause annoyances such as pop-ups, which waste staff time, cause frustration and therefore cost you money.
3. Back-up your files now and be prepared for unexpected failures. When was the last time you backed up your files? If your equipment is coming to the end of it's life, recovering data from failed hard disks can be very expensive and time consuming.
4. Look at who deals with IT glitches in your company. Is it someone who shouldn't be? Is it you? Whilst they are fixing IT problems should they really be doing the job you employ them to do and making you money. Having a retained support service could save valuable man-hours.
5. Be aware of how much time staff are spending surfing the internet on sites such as Facebook and MySpace. Install software or firewall hardware that monitors web usage and blocks access to unwanted websites.
6. Look at how much your company spends on travel expenses. Could staff be working remotely from home and spending less time on the road and less money on mileage? Could meetings with clients be done remotely using video conferencing technology?
7. When it's time to change your hardware consider leasing your IT equipment. This prevents the need for a large capital investment and means the cost is a manageable fixed overhead and can be spread out over a 2/3/4 year period. Leasing equipment can also include the benefit of a maintenance programme included within the payments.
8. Give staff who do need to travel access to company resources. Whether they are in the car, abroad or travelling within the UK - ensure they can pick up emails and access the Internet with speed, increasing their efficiency when they are out and about.
9. Review your communications infrastructure – are you making use of Voice over IP communications? Even something as simple as using Skype with a webcam could save £££’s in telephone call costs and travelling costs.