As a result, says a survey, they have forsaken new technologies built around cloud delivery, for instance.

The focus on improving existing systems has been the formula for reducing the impact of the downturn, say the majority of 100 firms who took part in a survey of companies in eastern England with a turnover of over £500,000.

The survey, conducted by IT integrator Cambridge Online Systems, found that integrating more back office applications with familiar desktop applications like Microsoft Office was the top area of IT focus this year.

The aims of integrating customer relationship management (CRM) with other departmental systems such as accounts, and delivering more information to field engineers on the move through the deployment of mobile devices like tablets, were well behind back office/desktop integration.

And cloud computing was considered to be the IT development least likely among the sample.