HSBC's European IT operation plans to
add thousands ofvirtual serversto its datacentres by
the end of 2008, in a move that will save 500kW of power -
equivalent to the consumption of 500 electric fires running
simultaneously.
The move is part of the bank's programme to reduce CO2
emissions, for which it has set global, regional and local
targets.
"By the end of 2008, HSBC Technology Services Europe will have
35% of the Windows server central processing units (CPU) as virtual
CPUs. The increase of 2,000 virtual servers will prevent the
consumption of 250W of power per server, giving a saving of 500kW,"
a HSBC spokesman said.
The company said this is on top of 425kW of power and 425kW of
cooling already saved by the virtualisation of CPUs to date.
"Reducing electricity consumption also offers major monetary
savings, so we always consider energy efficiency when investing in
IT," said the spokesman.
Independent energy analyst, Nigel Hawkins, said the project
could save millions of pounds. However, he said that given the size
of the bank's annual profit, the financial savings are small
compared to the publicity benefit of being seen as environmentally
friendly.
"While energy savings are always beneficial, compared with
HSBC's massive profit it is not going to make much difference to
the bottom line," he said.
HSBC has also introduced a policy to reduce unnecessary
printing. "Most of our printers in head office will only print
after the employee has passed a security pass over a reader. This
has dramatically cut the number of pages being printed, as people
now no longer simply print as a matter of course," the bank
said.
Other power-saving initiatives at HSBC include educating staff
about what they can do, such as turning off their PCs and
monitors.
"One of our most successful campaigns involved telling our
people that mobile phone chargers actually use almost as much power
if a phone is recharging or not. Very few people now leave a phone
charger plugged in at their desk."
According to research from analyst Vanson Bourne, finance firms
place environmental concerns as the main reason for adopting
virtual servers, with limited availability of power another major
motivation.