Green IT survey reveals more hot air than cool measurement

Their first annual Green IT survey also reveals that 49% of organisations are citing reduced operational costs as the main driver for greening IT operations; 78% say they recycling their IT equipment; yet 51% are unsure whether their organisations have sustainability goals for green IT. Paul Phillips, Extreme Networks’ regional director for UK and Ireland, believes that suggests that not all organisations are aware of the benefits and return on investment of green IT. “The green issue is important in today’s society, especially for organisations looking to reduce their carbon footprint,” says Phillips. “The fact that 78% of organisations recycle their IT suggests that there is a high level of awareness of the WEEE regulations. “However, it is essential that businesses measure the amount of electricity required for powering and cooling their IT systems. Currently, only one fifth of businesses do this, and it is important to measure the success of green IT initiatives, rather than going green just for the sake of it.” “The number of customers demanding evidence of our suppliers’ green credentials in RFPs has increased markedly in the past 12 months and we are now more cognisant of the issue of power consumption when designing networks,” says Data Integration’s managing director Garath Lauder. “But it is essential that businesses measure their IT-related energy spend in order to know whether their purchasing decisions are helping to meet their green goals.”