During the economic downturn a number of companies are looking for ways to cut costs, but one industry expert says the current recession is a perfect time to invest in collaborative solutions like SharePoint.

In writing for NetworkWorld, Susan Hanley says that implemented well-built SharePoint solutions might be one of the best investments a company can make in 2009.

One of the reasons Hanley says companies should get on board SharePoint currently is to avoid the drain of productivity that comes with the inability to find information, but she also says that an effective collaboration solution can cut down on the cost of travel.

"In a geographically dispersed organization, cutting back on travel doesn’t mean project teams aren’t expected to work together; it must means that they have to work more effectively at a distance," she writes.

But Hanley warns that companies cannot build a SharePoint solution and expect employees to just start using it. She suggests building model sites and samples to help users understand the improvements SharePoint brings.

A recent survey from Information Architected found that 40 percent of companies are unaware how large their SharePoint deployment is.