Firms Want to Save Money, and the Planet

SAVING money and saving the world are the dual motivations driving companies to consider buying greener technologies, according to research by software developer Symantec.

The feel-good factor earned by being environmentally friendly is now becoming a business requisite, boosting internet technology (IT) executives' interest in green IT solutions.

The global study presented in Symantec's 2009 Green IT Report shows green technologies are no longer just being installed to cut running costs, but also to improve the company's environmental standing. A massive 97% of respondents are at least discussing a green IT strategy, while 45% have already implemented some initiatives. Cost and efficiency benefits still prompted most of their interest, with 90% looking for lower electricity consumption, 87% seeking reduced cooling costs and 86% recognising the pressure to go green.

"Over the past 12 months, IT has emerged as a new driving force in implementing green initiatives -- not only for energy savings benefits, but also as a result of widespread desire to implement environmentally responsible practices," said Sheldon Hand, a storage specialist at Symantec.

That is confirmed by a rise in their allocated budgets for green initiatives, despite the global economic crisis bringing many budgets to a standstill. In 73% of the companies polled, IT executives expect an increase in green IT budgets over the next 12 months.

They are also willing to pay a premium for energy-efficient products, with two-thirds happy to pay up to 10% more, and 41% willing to pay a hefty 20% more.

The steps they are actually taking include replacing old equipment with energy-efficient models, monitoring power consumption, and installing new software that makes far better use of the storage space and processing power of existing servers.

Gartner analysts estimate that the information and communications technology industry itself generates 2% of global carbon dioxide emissions. But the smart use of technology can reduce the amount being produced in almost every industry.

Despite announcing another 5700 job cuts this week, global computing giant HP is still a leader on the development front for green IT.

This week it added new equipment and services to its Eco Solutions programme and set company-wide environmental goals.

Its aim is to provide a clear return on investment through financial savings, as well as a "return on environment" through energy, carbon and waste reductions.

"We're helping our customers achieve significant savings and improve their environmental performance while enhancing our own operations to achieve the same," said Shane Robison , its chief strategy and technology officer. The company has set a goal to save 1-billion kilowatt- hours of electricity by 2011 internally through better product designs.

Overall, HP has reduced the energy consumption of its desktop and notebook PCs by 41% since 2005.

Another focus is on designing products that use fewer materials, are easy to dismantle and recycle, and allow for more effective reuse of materials. It has already exceeded its goal for last year to triple the amount of recycled content in its ink-jet printers. It also offers a carbon footprint calculator for printing, which it claims can achieve energy savings of up to 80%.

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