we pass over the plan to confirm that it |
environmentally sound practices across |
This highlights the point our four experts |
|
is robust and complete. In my opinion, |
the entire portfolio of service delivery. |
made earlier- creating a greener IT |
|
we are taking a green approach anytime |
department might start with a project |
||
we reduce power consumption, reduce |
“ Rising energy costs coupled with the |
and some specific initiatives but it will |
|
floor space, reduce infrastructure or other |
increasing number of devices connected |
only work when it’ s instilled in everyday |
|
‘ costly’ IT enablers.” |
to the network will force all areas of busi- |
operations and embedded into work |
|
ness to look for ways to become more |
practices and culture. |
||
This highlights an important considera- |
energy efficient. In fact, plug loads and |
||
tion.‘ Green’ is not a product or service |
IT device energy use in commercial build- |
Gibbons pushed this home, saying: |
|
that can be purchased and deployed. It’ s |
ings accounts for nearly 5 % of all energy |
“ Regulatory compliance and cost saving |
|
a way of doing things that influences all |
use in the US; by 2030 that energy use |
targets are a given, baked into strategic |
|
service delivery. |
is expected to increase 36 %,” said Tyrer. |
planning now through years of effort |
|
and application. There are cost and |
|||
Deguara said:“ When you’ re talking IT, |
Gibbons pointed to his company’ s BYOD |
environmental benefits to underpin |
|
green technology and energy efficiency |
programs and how it can reduce the |
the BYOD business case; however, the |
|
are synonymous. Computers are among |
company’ s environmental impact simply |
real benefit of this strategy is a better |
|
the biggest users of power, and power |
by reducing the number of devices each |
user experience, which better meets the |
|
is still- on the whole- produced from |
individual uses. Instead of having a device |
consumers’ individual needs.” |
|
non-renewable resources. Implementing |
for work and one for personal use, BYOD |
||
an energy-efficient strategy across every |
has substantially reduced the number of |
There is a perception that‘ going green’ |
|
facet of a computer room or data centre |
devices being used. |
means spending more money, which |
|
can save companies millions of dollars.” |
might stop companies from imple- |
||
However, the data centre does remain |
menting more environmentally friendly |
||
Interestingly, Tse felt that the key in- |
a critical element in IT’ s planning and |
technologies in favour of cheaper so- |
|
fluence for IT adoption of green and |
delivery. |
lutions. However, Deguara said:“ The |
|
energy-efficient technology came from |
bigger picture benefits of using green |
||
outside the IT department and from |
“ Data centre infrastructure in many cases |
technology are more important to some |
|
the C-suite. |
uses more power than the IT equipment |
than the dollars and cents that can be |
|
in isolation, which is why advances in the |
demonstrably made or saved using it. |
||
“ Typically, the green initiative does not |
energy efficiency of data centre cooling, |
But even if the use of‘ green’ is more |
|
come from the IT department, but rather |
cooling methods, uninterruptible power |
financially than ethically motivated, its |
|
company leadership. If the organisation |
supplies( UPS) and power distribution |
importance isn’ t diminished.” |
|
has a goal to reduce its carbon footprint |
is so critical,” added Deguara. |
||
|
or‘ go green’, a directive will be given to
the IT department to find a product that
most closely matches those standards,”
she said.
Is green tech only a data centre issue?
|
Are CIOs demonstrating how green technologies can benefit the entire business?
Tse said:“ CIOs have the challenge of
|
Corporate social responsibility is a term that is starting to find its way into IT strategy documents. The benefits of implementing green technologies may go further than being a simple measurement of better financial outcomes through power saving. |
|
encouraging their employees to become |
“ CIOs are increasingly finding that |
||
It’ s easy to confine IT’ s use of green ini- |
more eco-friendly, and usually that drive |
green technologies are at the forefront |
|
tiatives to the data centre and choosing |
comes from regulatory compliance and |
of corporate social responsibility policy |
|
PCs that comply with some environmen- |
cost savings. However, many companies |
and initiatives- for this reason it’ s im- |
|
tal standard such as EPEAT. However, |
will make a commitment to becoming |
portant that they have a good grasp of |
|
all four experts agreed that this was a |
more eco-friendly and build a corporate |
the complexity and issues at hand with |
|
22 |
superficial view of IT’ s capacity to apply |
culture off of that mission.” |
green technologies,” said Tyrer. |