GlobeSt.com: What are the most critical technology investments for cash-strapped companies to make during these difficult times?

Ahlberg: My main advice is to spend money effectively. Don't ignore your old equipment and hope it doesn't break to save money. We aren't in the hardware game, but we have had clients using very old equipment as their main servers without realizing no one in the organization would be able to login to anything if those machines die. Spend money when needed, but do not invest in technology unless there is a return on your investment.

For larger firms, look at virtual server technologies like VMware and SAN technologies. I've seen moderate investment yield a huge savings. For desktop PC's, rather than stick with your regular upgrade cycle, hang on to them for another year. There is normally many times more power in your desktop that you need, so buy a cost effective model rather than the high end model. Do not upgrade to the lastest operating system or software version unless there is a real need to do so. In the meantime, download the MS Office Compatibility program so the staff can open and share Office 2007 files rather than buying Office 2007. Investigate open source programs like Open Office. It works great and it's compatible with Microsoft Office.