03 Nov 2008

IT depts have 'wasted equipment'

The average firm's IT department has a great deal of wasted equipment which could be outsourced to good effect, it has been suggested.

Industry experts Ephraim Schwartz and Tom Sullivan, writing in a blog at ITWorld, noted that cloud computing is usually sold to firms as a method of cutting their costs by outsourcing wasted infrastructure and the management of such infrastructure.

The article noted that resources used when doing the books in the fourth quarter could then remain unused for the rest of the next year.

Cloud computing is currently being adopted for the most part by smaller firms looking to revamp their infrastructure, by start-ups or by larger companies during experimental projects.

Indeed, the article noted that some businesses are not quite ready to commit all their data to the cloud, particularly when it comes to sensitive material.

Glenn Trommer, director of e-commerce at Office Depot, said in the blog: "It's proprietary and we want to maintain control over it."

In related news, a global survey of smaller firms by Microsoft revealed last week showed that 65 per cent of respondents said they would or might consider using a hosted IT service.