The 3R-rule for a greener IT: reduce, rethink and reuse
Energy usage is the single largest environmental factor facing today’s information technology. And it’s set to intensify as the demand for new and more powerful computing technology is fueled by Internet growth and commerce.
According to James Robey, head of corporate sustainability at Capgemini, the Paris-based global technology and consulting firm, IT contributes 2% to global carbon emissions, mainly through the energy businesses use to run it.
“This 2% is not dissimilar to the aviation industry so clearly our industry is a significant contributor. We therefore have a responsibility to see how we can reduce the carbon intensity of what we do,” adds Mr. Robey.
One way of reducing your energy footprint is by operating IT in an environmentally responsible—or green, way. According to the SMART 2020 report, published by the Brussels-based Global e-Sustainability Initiative, responsibly operated IT solutions have the potential to cut global greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 15% and save up to €600 billion ($803 billion) by 2020.
“The 3R-rule for green IT is reduce, rethink and reuse—and it can be applied to any technology,” says Ross Bentley, technical director of London-based business continuity company, Assist Ltd.
For example:
Reduce energy by using slimmed-down “thin client” devices linked to fewer server computers managing a variety of software applications (a computing architecture known as thin computing)
Rethink IT, using video conferencing and other forms of mobile or remote access technologies to reduce unnecessary travel.
Reuse technology with new software to extend its useful life.
Says Roger Keenan, managing director of City Lifeline, a London-based data center company: “There is no economic sense in wasting energy and it’s now seen as socially irresponsible to do so. Anyone with an existing data center is—or should be—gradually improving their efficiency and greenness.”
Dan Sutherland, CEO of London-based cloud computing services provider Carrenza, agrees: “In the current economic climate, our first business concern should be becoming as efficient as possible. Prioritizing efficiencies means that a business must also become more energy efficient, which is green by default.”
Organizations are choosing to achieve this in a variety of ways.
For example, Stockholm City Council governs 48 districts, specialized administrative offices and city-owned companies. A central part of the city’s strategy to become as agile and cost-effective as possible is to standardize and centralize its IT so it can be shared by all of the city’s business units and administrative entities, and be available 24/7.
“We were using an aging desktop environment but transforming our PC desktop infrastructure into a Windows 7-based world has yielded significant benefits in terms of agility, improved desktop reliability and stability, and readily controllable IT costs,” says Anette Holm, the council’s chief information officer.
Currently, IT services cost the city approximately SEK600 million ($90 million) a year, about 60% of the city’s total IT costs. With shared services, IT costs are expected to be reduced annually by an estimated 10%.
Windows 7 applications are being delivered in different ways so the council can accommodate users with a wide variety of computing resources without having to manage and maintain a complex array of different computer systems.
Green IT was given particular attention in the desktop platform design process. When implemented, power-saving features in Windows 7 will provide the city’s IT managers with power management capabilities that will help to support key council directives and reduce PC power consumption by an estimated 3%.
London-based Reed Specialist Recruitment has implemented thin computing from Wyse Technology of San Jose, Calif., in all 350 of its offices world-wide. Since Reed has replaced all of its PCs with Wyse thin clients, the energy saving has been enormous.
Previously, Reed’s 4,500 PCs each drew 100 watts of power an hour, and they had to be left on 24 hours a day, seven days a week to allow support technicians to do updates and fixes. The result was an energy consumption of 76 kilowatt-hours a week.
Now, each of the company’s 5,500 thin clients consumes just 14 watts of power and they only need to be left on 10 hours a day and five days a week as they don’t require updates and fixes. The resulting energy consumption is just 3.85 kilowatt-hours a week, an amazing 95% reduction.
Says Sean Whetstone, Reed’s head of IT: “We now have a much more flexible IT infrastructure than before. That’s important as our business successfully responds to volatile market conditions and the progress out of recession.”
The use of green IT is also making it easier for Reed to target new growth markets overseas. “Our new offices in Asia-Pacific and Eastern Europe had their IT services set up much faster because they share the same thin client desktop model supported by our European data center,” he adds. “The operational costs are much lower, too, with everything done remotely and no need for local office IT support.”
Transport management software from Scottsdale-based JDA Software Group is also helping the U.K. division of Dallas-based Kimberly-Clark to reduce the miles traveled by its haulage contractors delivering tissues, paper towels, nappies and other products from its manufacturing plants to retailers.
The system has enabled the company to optimize allocation of delivery contracts to a wider range of smaller and niche operators. Kimberly-Clark estimates that it is saving £1 million ($1.6 million) annually in transport costs and securing more competitive deals from its expanded list of haulage contractors. It is reducing distances traveled on its behalf by 380,000 miles a year, with an annual saving of 540,000 kilograms of CO2.
To reduce energy consumption across the organization, power plant, data center and facility managers need to start working together.
“This is of course a daunting and demanding task, but managers will eventually be able to analyze the data IT systems generate and develop improvements to impact the whole organization. The path to monitoring energy use is not an easy one but it is clearer now than ever before,” says Chris Smith, sales and marketing director of on365, the Loughborough, U.K.-based provider of IT services.
According to Capgemini there are several steps you should be taking to ensure that the adoption of green IT in your company is successful.
- 1. Benchmark your company’s carbon footprint.
Consider aspects such as lighting, heating, air conditioning, data centers, car and truck fleets (mileage and carbon emission), business travel, vending and recycling. Determine a realistic benchmark and then set attainable but aggressive targets—perhaps over five or 10 years. - 2. Ensure IT and business work together.
The pursuit of green IT cannot come at the expense of business needs. Instead, a green IT strategy should fit within, and be aligned with, business needs. Business, however, should understand the potential benefits of pursuing green IT, such as cost-efficiency creation and improved workplace practices. A shared approach is necessary to ensure both green IT and business objectives can be pursued simultaneously and for mutual benefit. - 3. Make achieving targets everyone’s responsibility.
Use the company Intranet or notice boards to publish regular updates on progress against targets and advise on simple, achievable steps.
Bear these points in mind and not only should your organization be able to significantly reduce it environmental impact, but it will become more efficient at the same time.
