Research from value-added distributor Bell Micro has
found that for UK businesses which have implemented green IT
policies only a fifth the median for energy saved is just
10%.
The survey of 350 senior IT managers across firms of all sizes
has indicated that there is a clear
disconnect between
‘going green’ and demonstrable energy savings. The finding that
major energy savings of over 50% are completely absent in larger
organisations, raises questions over the current value of supposed
‘green’ activities, Bell Micro suggested.
Of the 21% of organisations with a
green IT policy, only 12% quantified any energy savings as a
result of the green IT initiatives they have embarked on. Nearly a
fifth (fifth (19%) said it is too early to tell and two-thirds
admit that they do not know what energy savings have been made; 4%
admit none have been made yet.
However, nearly two-thirds (62%) of organisations interviewed
for the research did recognise that savings could be made in the
long run from green IT initiatives, and 89% of those without a
current green IT policy thought that significant energy savings in
the IT department alone could be made by introducing measures that
will lead to greener IT behaviour.
For those
organisations with a green IT policy, tangible savings were
recorded almost equally across SMEs (14%) and large organisations
(12%). Among those who quantified their energy savings - ranging
from 2% to 90% - the median figure was just 10%. The value of
adopting a green approach therefore remains inconclusive for the
majority of companies that have made efforts to embrace an
environmentally aware IT policy, said Antony Young, Director of
Services, Security and Networking Divisions at Bell Micro
“What these figures are telling us is that Green IT still has a
long way to go if it is to deliver real operational savings and
therefore be more widely accepted. It is encouraging that
businesses are recognising the need to embrace a greener approach
to the day to day operational running of a company, but for those
few that have engaged with green IT, these latest findings should
be ringing alarm bells. A green IT policy is not just an ethical
decision; it also should address the bottom line, providing
demonstrable savings against operational costs.”