Oct. 1, 2008 - Sixty percent of small-business decision-makers report saving money via green technologies, according to a new Microsoft survey.

Ninety-four percent of respondents believe technology is the best tool to help green their business, according to the survey of 250 small-business IT managers.

Respondents identify a paperless office as the green IT practice that offers the greatest cost savings. Other cost-effective technologies include:

• Managing power consumption for computers (28%)
• Allowing employees to telecommute (26%)
• Upgrading server infrastructure with the most energy-efficient technology available (16%)
• Using mobile technology (15%)
• Conducting live meetings over the web (14%)

"Technology can play a significant role in helping businesses lower their impact on the environment and improve both their bottom line and the sustainability of their operations," says Francois Ajenstat, director of environmental sustainability at Microsoft.

In fact, smarter technology use could save global industry $800 billion in annual energy costs by 2020, according to a June report from the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI) and the Climate Group.