How green IT can save you money

Green IT

Since the recession the number of companies employing green initiatives has fallen sharply as companies put so called "unnecessary" outlays on the back burner. But what so many companies don't realise is that by establishing greener practices, especially in areas such as IT, bottom lines can be drastically improved.. 

As reported by BusinessWeek, in a recent survey by Silicon.com more than a quarter of respondents admitted green IT was off the agenda because of the recession. With the help of government policies, businesses are beginning to realise that the key is to align green goals with broader cost-cutting initiatives.

The majority of companies will consume their energy outside the data center, therefore centralizing management of the desktop environment becomes crucial. Enforcing company policies such as getting every user to turn off their computer and monitor before they leave the office, and putting into action the energy management features of operating systems could slash energy usage per PC by 40 percent.

Simple steps for big effects

The same goes for other hardware such as printers, on which timer switches can be installed to turn printers off automatically when they are not being used. It all comes down to taking simple steps that will not affect productivity, but can have a significant impact on a businesses energy bill. Using recycled paper, dropping desktop printers in favour of shared multi-function devices and duplex printing also all have a role to play in reducing print wastage.

Common sense perhaps has the biggest role to play in saving energy, resources and cash. One of the most wasteful practices within a company is the over-eagerness to upgrade. A huge number of firms like to renew hardware every two, three or four years without taking steps to determine whether an upgrade is in fact necessary. And when you factor in staff retraining and other possible overheads, the cost soon stacks up.

Simple audits and assessments of IT systems will soon be able to determine which elements of your business need upgrading and which can remain unchanged. Even small details can be calculated, such as the exact amount of power required to power things like servers.

Businesses have a responsibility to the world

But aside from simply wanting to save cash, businesses across the globe have an responsibility to the rest of the world. Companies need to be consider the importance of the safe disposal of e-waste, which can contain high levels of toxic chemicals such as arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury.

"Companies need to ensure their e-waste recyclers are ethical and don't simply send the equipment off to a poorer country to deal with," says Cameron Green, green IT partnerships manager at environmental charity Global Action Plan.

With technological innovations like cloud computing and smart grids, energy efficiency should become increasingly easier for businesses. But until then firms can take steps to help themselves and the rest of the world.

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The green IT picture | Go Green | Green IT market

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