As belt-tightening becomes a way of life, cost reduction continues to be a primary concern for many IT leaders. Some of the ways to save money on IT can also boost efficiency and productivity.

What follows are some cost-saving ideas from Technisource, the IT staffing division of Spherion Corp.:

* Stick to basics: Most users need only a limited suite of applications, basic hardware and limited database access. Give them more, and acquisition, maintenance and storage costs add up. Don’t waste money on features only power users will understand and use.

* Weigh the benefits of innovation vs. the cost of new technology: Many organizations are risk-averse and hesitant to buy the newest hardware and software, thinking they’ll wait until Service Pack 1. However, Technisource points out that there are some new game-changing products out there that have meaningful benefits.

* Go green: Nothing hogs energy like IT systems: Whether you’re cooling underutilized servers or watching a floor aglow with monitors that have been left on overnight, the drain adds up. Deploy power management tools and energy-saving technologies such as blade servers and virtualization.

* Use what you have: Technisource has seen many organizations buy systems but not deploy or use them. Other times, not all the features are utilized. This represents wasted money.

Amy Schurr is the former managing features editor of Network World.