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The following article was published by Productive Corporation to give its customers tips for ‘going green' with not only IT but for their company as a whole. Productive produces content focusing on the relevant issues of Mid-Market IT professionals to give its customers perspective on current trends. Recent topics have included patch management, hosted recovery on demand, as well the evolution of software licensing.
Tips for going green in IT and your business
We are in the era of global environmental awareness. Going green isn't just a slogan for a small community's recycling program. Going green stands for national and international efforts to save the earth from global pollution. The main question of a mid-size company is how to go green and not just to save the planet, but at the same time to save money. All companies contribute to the cleaner planet when they replace light bulbs with the energy efficient ones (LED light bulbs are the best, and they don't contain mercury, which is toxic), use a soy-based photocopying ink, recyclable cups, or carpets made of recycled materials. But what are the main issues that IT businesses experience and how to address them?
The key problems of the IT industry are power consumption and e-waste. Technology industry is one of the worst contributors to carbon emissions and is second largest in power consumption, after heavy manufacturing. E-waste is the fastest growing part of the waste stream. There are over a thousand different chemicals used in electronic production, like lead, mercury, and cadmium, therefore a large part of the e-waste is toxic. They shouldn't be just tossed into the trash, but safely disposed or recycled. There are estimates that over 500 million computers and 130 million cell phones are thrown out every year in the United States. Here are several steps an IT company can take to reduce e-waste and carbon emissions and also decrease its power consumption and therefore lower its energy bill.
1. A Company Has To Work Out a Recycling Plan. There Are a Few Different Options To Do It:
Hold your supplier responsible for proper disposal of your used equipment. There are many electronic manufacturers, like Dell, HP, and IBM that accept back their products for recycling and disposal from businesses, without requiring a new purchase. A full list of those companies is posted at http://www.business.gov/. There are organizations, like GreenCitizen that were created to deal with e-waste. GreenCitizen recycles computer monitors, laptops, ink jet printers and cartridges, and cell phones. For locations and recycling options go to http://www.greencitizen.com/- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also recommends donation of used (but useful) electronics. This option gives a company nice tax deduction.
2. Update Old PCs and Servers:
Find out which computers are more green than others. Updating computer equipment is always about spending money. The main argument for it is that new equipment is more efficient. How to find out which computers are more efficient (green) than others? EPA chartered Green Electronics Council (GEC) http://www.greenelectronicscouncil.org/ to set up guidelines for green computer products. GEC came up with some standards, by which it classifies IT products called The Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) http://www.greenelectronicscouncil.org/epeat/index.htm . It is helpful not just for buyers but also manufacturers of electronics. GEC doesn't just rate the products, but it also awards them, depending on how environmentally friendly those products are. The standards GEC created are now adopted by the Federal Government and by Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). They can help IT companies to establish their own green standards and serve us guidelines for purchasing new equipment.
3. Implement an Automated Desktop Power Management:
There are several systems available that will help the IT company to save energy by turning all PCs off at the of the day, and back on the next day at a specified time. Examples include:
Verdiem Surveyor http://www.verdiem.com/surveyor.aspx , Big Fix http://www.bigfix.com/.
4. Virtualize Unused Servers:
Virtualization is a program that enables multiple operating systems and applications on the same computer, at the same time. Since servers use a lot of power (for running and cooling), it is crucial to eliminate servers that are not being in use. VMware http://www.vmware.com/, a company producing virtual technology, estimated that businesses could reduce their power consumption by 80% by using virtualization. Although, it is not cheap to implement, an IT company will save money in a long run, because of reduced energy consumption (and carbon emissions). Reducing number of servers by virtualization will also reduce floor space needed.
5. Address Data Centers:
Powering and cooling of data centers usually use the most energy. There are many energy efficient hardware and software available that can be implemented to lower the costs: newer servers come with high efficiency power supplies and component designs providing greater efficiency and air flow. For example Hewlett Packard's Dynamic Smart Cooling technology is designed to save 25% to 40% in power costs. - Redesigning the floor plan of the data center can also save money. The company can group equipment in a way to create hot and cool areas and install cooling systems closer to the heat sources. It will make the cooling more efficient and placed where it is needed.
6. Get Help:
As we are entering very tough economic times, many mid-size businesses wonder if it is even worth it saving the planet, while they are not sure whether they can save themselves. Implementing any of the suggested ideas will cost money, some projects more than others. Companies need to do their research on any available resources. Most electronic equipment suppliers will work with their customers on designing end implementing large improvement projects. Many utility companies offer similar help along with financial incentives for virtualization and other energy efficient improvements. Here are some of the utility companies that work with mid-size IT businesses: - Silicon Valley Power http://www.siliconvalleypower.com/bus/?sub=rebatecdroffer rebates for server virtualization.- XCEL Energy, which is operating in several states http://www.xcelenergy.com/Business/Programs_Resources/ConservationRebates_Incentives_Business/Pages/DataCenterEfficiency.a offers incentives and rebates for data center efficiency projects. - San Diego Gas and Electric http://www.sdge.com/business/esc helps mid-size companies to improve energy efficiency.
As we all make efforts to clean up the earth: recycling and changing light bulbs, businesses are the ones, who pay the highest costs of changing. Customers, knowing that 'green' products save them money, ask for those products. Companies have to adjust their practices to become more green, so they don't go out of business. Fortunately, there is help and resources available.
About Productive Corporation
Productive Corporation is a specialized software reseller that helps small and medium businesses across North America with software initiatives in security, storage, and infrastructure. We provide subject matter expertise, access to technical resources, and excellent customer service. We also strive to provide the most relevant resources for our customers.
