IT budgeting: Make every dollar count

Many executives say that IT costs too much. And it's the job of the CIO to keep costs down. But just remember that plenty of workable hours are lost trying to justify costs. Your best bet is to trim your costs, make every dollar count and be ready to justify every allocation. At the same time, it is important to remember that you will be graded on what you do, not what you cannot do. Use IT as a service and make sure one operation is not duplicated by another. CIOs are not bean counters, but they certainly should use their tech skills to keep their department in the black.

One tip: Give your clients control over their money and let them realize that their allocation may be just a little bit too small. And in the meantime, learn how to allocate smartly, so that at the end of the day, the job will be done and money will not be frivolously whittled away.

For more on the smart use of your money:
 - See this CIO Magazine article