As state governors grapple with their budgets for 2012, public universities and colleges are facing some of the deepest funding cuts in memory. To make matters worse, most of the federal stimulus funds, which have helped dull the pain so far, will have been spent by June. It seems almost inevitable that IT departments are going to be asked to tighten their belts again. While there is no silver bullet for the current budget travails, some of IT's most trusted weapons may be worth another look. This article highlights three public institutions that are using tried and tested IT tools to deliver big returns, for almost no money down. (Contains 5 online resources.)