Want to cut your IT budget in half?

Companies can cut running and licensing costs in half by opting for Microsoft Windows 2000-based systems instead of Unix, according to the latest study by research house Aberdeen Group.

The company claims medium-sized and large enterprises gain a 46 per cent cost advantage by running Windows 2000-based servers instead of Unix over a three-year period. SMEs can also save as much as 38 per cent just by upgrading from Windows NT 4.0 to Windows 2000.

Tom Manter, research director at the Aberdeen Group, claimed clear cost advantages could be seen especially in the area of server platform acquisition and ongoing administrative costs.

Windows 2000, he said, was also found to be cheaper regarding update deployments, internal staff training and support fees.