The manual effort required to support that directory interferes with deploying that application. Opportunities may be lost because there simply isn't enough time or money to deploy the applications. If users can't find each other in the directory, they can't communicate, resulting in reduced productivity. Lost messages lead to misunderstandings, new employees can't access re-quired systems, and security risks are incurred when someone leaves the company but his or her logon ID remains. A directory infrastructure that allows a single point of administration for all applications, training, setup, configuration and administration will reduce costs overall.
Information is more likely to be valid and up to date.
With every new application that leverages the directory infrastructure, the cost savings increase. Manageable, consolidated directories also offer enterprises a golden opportunity to reduce desktop maintenance costs by storing configuration items that might otherwise need to be held in PC-based files, scripts or registries. When such information is held in the directory, changes need only be made once. When information is filed in the PC, the updating burden is costly. To get the actual numbers in your company, you'll need to inventory existing systems, survey employees, and talk to other corporate teams charged with reducing overall desktop cost of ownership and deploying new applications.