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A great deal of focus in society today is about global warming, carbon footprints and saving energy. We should all try and do our bit to save energy and to save the planet. Us individuals are just the small people, we should be aware of the world issues but the end of the day we buy products that are offered to us and live within our budgets. Companies are the big dogs and they will have a vast amount of influence to how much energy is being used and how environmentally friendly products actually are. In society today we have a growing dependence on computers, and companies especially have a great reliance on computers and IT systems. It seems that many do not understand the effects IT systems are having on the environment. It systems use up vast amount of energy and costs companies a bigger proportion of their budget then necessary. Companies are already aware of their corporate and social responsibilities towards environment but more has to be done to make a difference. Currently IT departments spend 5% of the companies' total budget on the energy used. This could be become larger if changes are not made. Constant improvements in IT try to boost efficiency with complex technology and data centres to back up, effective disaster recovery and operating resilience. All these complex systems not only use vast power consumption, they also produce a vast amount of heat! Companies have to make changes not only for the environment as whole but by being seen to be green will attract customers, suppliers and investors. Companies will go green by investing in energy efficient technology and have a holistic view on power supplies. This could be done by consolidating, streamlining and simplifying data centres as these are what use the bulk of energy. Companies will also need good cabling and IT cooling to conserve energy and reduce the corporate carbon footprint. Companies have the money and resourses to make the changes for the environment. Awareness of the energy usage that computers use has been made so if reductions could be made the environment will see a lot of difference for the better. Companies' positive changes will also have positive effects on households. They will but the products that have been produced better and companies have a louder voice to spread the word of "Green" to influence the households to live more "Green" themselves.
Staff editor, Gas & Electricity Section, November 2007 |
