How to save money in IT

Pilot fish is responsible for pretty much everything IT at this privately owned business that does automotive testing and also supplies thousands of temp employees to a local auto plant.

"Each year I got notices about upgrading the accounting software suite -- general ledger, accounts receivable, payroll and so on," says fish. "It was only a couple hundred dollars for all parts.

"Each year the penny-pinching owner said, 'If it works, why should I pay for the newest versions?'"

Several years go by that way. But eventually the DOS-based accounting software from the 1980s won't work with the newer Windows PCs and network operating system, and an upgrade is unavoidable.

Fish explains to the boss that the price for the newest accounting software from the same vendor is much less than the original $600 per package. That makes the boss smile, thinking about all the money he has saved.

Then the call comes from the accounting software vendor's help desk: "To use your existing data with the new version, you'll need to install each of the past upgrades -- which are no longer available."

Reports fish: "The boss was furious! 'What can we do?' he asked. Vendor help desk replied, 'You'll have to manually re-enter all the data into the new software.'

"I already had a new job lined up, and the boss shelled out big bucks to have that entire employee payroll data re-entered."

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