Sources of Productivity: Getting more bang from fewer IT bucks

U.S. productivity grew 8.1% in the third quarter, the Labor Department told us last week. In the short term, that's great news for company profitability, but bad news for workers. In the medium term, though, higher productivity is good for both companies and workers, because if demand starts to grow, companies will still need to hire more workers to meet that demand. But where does increased productivity come from? This is the first of a three-part series focusing on companies that show their clients how to be more efficient.

Information technology spending has dropped off significantly since the dot-com bust. And since the recent recession began in December 2007, companies have been looking for ways to cut IT spending further while maintaining or increasing performance.