E N V I R O N M E N T
key domains: up to provide guidance and advice on a
Medium, message
· transportation demand management range of issues that are being codified under
to improve fuel consumption; the generic term of green IT. Unfortunately, During the next two to five years, many
· demand side management with so much hype, users are left with a green technologies will mature and become
of electrical power; sense of confusion about where and when important to IT groups looking to develop
· machine-to-machine communications they should invest their time and money.” greener IT organisations. However,
to improve operational efficiencies; says Gartner, much of the planning and
· the recycling of electronic devices; According to Gartner there is a great deal of assessing of the appropriateness and cost
· and regulatory compliance and audits uncertainty about which green technologies of using these new products needs to be
To impact the environment positively and products are actually available today examined earlier and in the context of
in each of these domains, specific and which may become available in the an overall IT strategy. This is especially
improvements were quantified in nine future. The future ‘productisation’ of the case where government legislation
solution areas: mobile workforce; field technologies will not just depend on the (affecting building design, for example)
services and personnel; data centre maturity of the design but also on the may come into force. Gartner highlights
operations; telecommuting; facilities/ prevailing market conditions and the eight areas in this category:
building management; environmental possibility of future legislation. · green IT procurement;
audit and compliance systems; branch and · green asset life cycle programmes;
remote office capabilities; environmentally However, the Gartner research shows · environmental labelling of
located data centres; and ICT equipment that the spectrum of green technologies, servers and other devices;
recycling. services and legislation that users need to · videoconferencing;
focus on can be broken down into short- · changing people's behaviours;
“Instead of investing in new technology, term (immediate), mid-term and long-term · green accounting in IT;
all carriers have to do is organise their activities. · green legislation in data centres;
existing capabilities into solutions sets,” · and corporate social responsibility
offers Robert Rosenberg, president The immediate issues affect the next 24 (CSR) and IT programmes
INSIGHT Research. “For example, months and need to yield a quick return on
carriers have technologies that can be investment, while the midterm category
used to reduce auto emissions as well as covers the next five years. The long-term
Green light?
energy demand to heat and cool offices category covers products and activities that Gartner reckons there are many green IT
and homes. Enterprises and households are, by nature, rather esoteric and may never technologies, services and projects that will
that reduce their carbon footprint will be become mainstream. span the next five to 20 years. Much of the
able to monetise the results, while carriers industry hype (or ‘greenwash’) sits in this
generate new revenue from existing
capabilities.”
Present, and correct
area and is causing confusion for users.
These users are unclear about whether
Immediate green IT issues centre around carbon-trading programmes will become
Preaching to the
power, cooling and floor space problems in the norm, or whether it will be possible
unconverted
data centres and office environments. With to recycle energy from data centres in a
this in mind, Gartner identified eight main simple and cost-effective way. Gartner
areas for users to focus on during the next identified the following seven areas to
But, at the moment, not all end users of 24 months: focus on:
telecommunications and ICT have a clear · modern data centre facili- · carbon offsetting and carbon trading;
understanding of the greener message. In ties' design concepts; · data centre heat recycling;
September, for example, some pieces of · advanced cooling technologies; · alternative energy sources;
analysis from Gartner Inc suggested that · use of modelling and moni- · software efficiency;
IT users were unsure of the implications toring software; · green building design;
of green IT and where to invest their · virtualization technologies · green legislation;
technology budgets. Gartner reckons this for server consolidation; · and green chargeback
confusion will continue for some years to · processor design and
come. server efficiency;
· energy management for the
Green backs
“The IT industry is saturated with green office environment; But even if enterprises can get their heads
IT talk,” observes Rakesh Kumar, research · integrated energy management around greener ICT, not all of them have
vice president at Gartner. “Conferences, for the software environment; the wherewithal to do much about it.
presentations and consultants are springing · and combined heat and power Also released in September, a study from
 I
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