As more CIOs try to rein in their maintenance spending, they're more closely examining the value of those annual maintenance fees, says Kathy Quirk, research manager at Nucleus Research Inc. in Wellesley, Mass. As they understand the value, "they're in a better position to ask for more for what they're paying," she says.

CIOs are also realizing that they can lower their vendor maintenance fees as they get a better account of what they actually have, Quirk adds. Companies that have inventoried their software programs and corresponding costs often find that they have more licenses and maintenance fees than they need. Some also find that they're paying maintenance fees on programs they no longer use.

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Phil Murphy compares IT to a messy warehouse that "you've been dumping stuff into and taking stuff out of -- rarely -- for 25 years."