Green IT
Green IT comprises of initiatives and strategies that reduce the environmental footprint of technology while providing the same quality of service. It concentrates more on the triple bottom line namely economic, ecological and social.
The reduction in the environmental footprint comes from reductions in energy use and consumables, including hardware, electricity, fuel and paper – among others. Because of these reductions, Green IT initiatives also produce cost savings in energy use, purchases, management and support, in addition to environmental benefits. Beyond cost savings and environmental benefits, some initiatives may address stakeholder and regulatory needs and demands.
Green IT: What can be achieved?
Green IT initiatives can be broadly divided into four categories
1. Consolidation of Resources: Initiatives in this area include server virtualization and consolidation and storage consolidation among others. These projects typically improve cost and energy efficiency through optimized use of existing and new
computing, storage capacity, electricity, cooling, ventilation and real estate.
2. Energy Efficiency: Initiatives in this area include server room upgrades, new energy efficient buildings, IT energy measurement, printer consolidation and PC power management. These projects have energy efficiency or reduction as a major cost savings benefits.
3. Travel Reduction: Initiatives in this area include remote conferencing & collaboration and telecommuting. These projects are typically associated with reductions in travel, fuel and commuting costs.
4. Regulatory Compliance: Governments around the world have come up with strict guidelines to ensure that organizations that are working within its borders comply to reduce its carbon footprint. These governments do not let companies ship their
products in their countries/states without compliance certification.
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