The principles of the SaaS delivery model can significantly reduce business travel, and electronic documents and processes reduce
the overall amount of C02 emissions, while at the same time paper consumption and the accompanying costs of copiers,
enabling customers to operate with greater agility, profitability, printers and couriers.
efficiency and innovation.
As information and communication technology becomes more
The SaaS model centralises data-centre operations and uses less highly tuned with today’s needs, businesses are gaining the
equipment and energy. A typical SaaS data centre combines the freedom to experiment with the overall working process, playing
operations of a multitude of companies, drives efficiencies, and with ways to cuts costs, lift staff morale, comply with increasing
directly reduces the amount of C02 emissions. SaaS data centres governmental pressures, and basically keep everyone happy.
are built to maximise energy efficiency and minimise waste. Power
consumption is reduced through equipment density and cooling CO2 emissions of ICT result from the use of PCs, servers, cooling,
efficiency. Yet another opportunity to boost your green CV and fixed and mobile telephony, networks, office telecommunications
save more cash to plough back into the business. and printers. The energy use of data centres will continue to rise
unless a radical change of attitude is embraced across the business
Further developments spectrum. Surveys show that most large enterprise IT organisations
spend around five per cent of their total IT budgets on energy and
Thin client workstations are gradually taking the lead foothold in the this could rise by two to three times within five years. Trends like
market as they use about half the electricity of a typical desktop these will have a major impact on IT departments, forcing them to
PC and boast reduced hardware and maintenance costs - huge re-think the way ICT is managed and governed. Green IT is now a
purchasing incentives amid the current business climate. corporate social responsibility, not a trendy gimmick.
Voice-over-IP brought together voice and data communications Green IT will add value to any business. IT investments in
for some significant benefits. VoIP and phone extension mobility infrastructure reorganisation will ultimately generate healthy ROI.
made practical a concept introduced in the early 1990s: ‘hotelling’ Virtualisation, for instance, can deliver a 40-75 per cent one-time
of office space. Hotelling reduces the physical space required per saving on equipment and up to 50 per cent in ongoing operating
employee, because workers reserve space only when they need expenses. Other than cost savings, Green IT also adds value
it. For many jobs such as sales, consulting and field service, a to the overall brand image of the company, which is great for
dedicated office need never sit vacant, wasting energy on lighting shareholders and highly attractive to potential investors. And
and cooling. don’t forget your clients and customers. It is a fact that the global
mission to combat climate change and protect energy security
Telecommuting is another concept that is building in popularity is making eco-warriors out of everyone, from Mr Smith on level
as it potentially cuts out the whole commuter problem - a great three, to his CEO at the top. Consumer and business buying
contributor to carbon emissions and general misery for workers. decisions are now heavily influenced by a sense of responsibility.
Telephony technologies have made it practical to operate whole If you don’t clean up your act, you may well lose out to greener
departments outside a building. Call centres for large companies competitors.
now hire at-home agents whose physical absence makes little
difference to the customers they are dealing with. Meanwhile, So, looking at the bigger picture, when it comes to green IT,
teleconferencing and telepresence have cut down dramatically on everyone’s a winner. n
25 | ecoexecutive
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