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Green IT: a top priority for companies

information and communications technology (ICT): an opportunity for companies

Green IT has a dual role to play. It must help reduce the environmental impact of information systems and telecommunications and also use ICT to minimize the consequences of companies’ activities (greenhouse gas emissions, fossil fuel consumption, etc.). What is at stake is quite serious, yet it has taken a long time to raise awareness on the issue. According to the research and advisory company the Economist Intelligence Unit, in 2007, 57% of companies worldwide deployed strategies for reducing carbon dioxide emissions. However, fewer than 50% of them identified information technologies as a separate element in their reduction plans. Today, few ICT managers are associated with their company’s environmental strategies, even though their participation is one of the keys to the success of these strategies.

“ICT accounts for 2% of global carbon dioxide emissions ⁽¹⁾”

“ICT has the capacity to ensure savings in carbon dioxide emissions up to five times greater than the sector’s own environmental footprint ⁽²⁾”

1. Source: Gartner Conference, April 2007 & The Climate Group, July 2008

2. Source: The Climate Group in partnership with the GeSI, a report issued by McKinsey - July 2008

limiting energy consumption

With their increasing technical capacities, computers in use today consume more and more energy. As a result is energy costs can represent up to 40% of a company’s total IT budget (power supply to equipment, air conditioning for rooms with computers, etc.). Another consequence: emerging energy supply problems for companies.

Companies can thus no longer afford not to adopt approaches for sustainable management for energy resources. By offering companies adapted management tools, Green IT can enable them not only to reduce costs, but also to secure their energy supplies.

In this context, relying on renewable energy sources and “positive energy” buildings can be part of the solution.

Positive energy buildings produce more power than they consume (by using solar panels, for example). "Companies should rely on renewable energy sources to bring down the cost factor by at least 50%, and secure at least 50% of their power supply,” Philippe Eon suggests.

prioritizing concentration, virtualization and paperless process

It is also essential to directly alter how information systems are organized. Through access to remote servers grouped in “green data centers” managed by service providers, companies can equip their employees with lighter PCs. The advantage is that using computers with limited storage capacity consumes less power, and their life expectancy is longer. “The financial and ecological savings measured in terms of greenhouse gas emissions are immediate and considerable,” underscores Philippe Eon.

Beyond concentrating servers, there are countless possibilities in terms of virtualization and dematerialization. Video-conferencing can be used for meetings and interviews, invoicing can be managed electronically, etc.

leave no stone unturned

Beyond actions aimed at minimizing the impact of ICT, and capitalizing on their potential for environmental savings, Green IT initiatives can be accompanied by complementary measures. They include: