Setting a green IT baseline will bear fruit
Forrester recommends performing a deep assessment of your green-tech initiatives to ensure they're on track
345 RecommendationsCompanies worldwide are recognizing the value of embracing green tech -- and not just IT vendors such as HP, IBM, Cisco, and Dell. Organizations large and small, from universities to SMBs to sprawling corporations such as Procter & Gamble, have embraced sustainable technology practices for one (or more) of the usual reasons: saving money on various forms of waste, cutting carbon emissions, complying with current or future legislation, and simply being better environmental stewards.
Yes, an array of organizations has adopted a range of various green technologies to achieve an assortment of sustainability-oriented goals. Therein lies the beauty of green tech; from PC power management to server virtualization to telepresence to supply-chain oversight, there's something for everyone, including plenty of opportunities to reap rewards from any given solution. But there, too, lies a challenge: Where is a CEO, CIO, CSO (chief sustainability officer), CTH (chief tree-hugger), or whomever is charged with drafting and carrying out an organization's grand green battle plan supposed to begin?
[ Learn how 2009 InfoWorld Green 15 winners such as Procter & Gamble, the U.S. Postal Service, and Burt's Bees have reaped the rewards of green tech. | Carbon regulations, both present and future, are spurring green-tech initiatives. ]
Research company Forrester recently released a report titled "The Value of a Green IT Maturity Assessment" to guide organizational leaders in devising a sensible green-tech agenda. According to report authors Doug Washburn and Christopher Mines, the process starts with "understanding the state of green IT policies and practices within your organization." That is -- and this goes for any green-tech project -- measure your starting point to figure out what green-tech projects do or do not have potential, as well as how to assess your projects' progress down the road.
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The concept of baselining and assessment is a well founded and proven approach for establishing a pragmatic programme of change and a recent example can be seen in the Business Continuity Impact Assessment process.
A similar approach will provide analysis and insight that will aid management decision processes in establishing a sustainable and efficient IT infrastructure.
The EU Code of Conduct on Data Centres Energy Efficiency provides a basis for assessment and benchmarking as is a viable alternative.
The EU Code is driving energy and Green tech initiatives and is also supported by The Green Grid.
Philip Vandenberg
Dimension 85