Green IT strategy - not just power management

Date

01 November 2008

By Molly Webb, Head of Smart Technologies, The Climate Group.

How can organisations strategically use IT to optimise their operations and business for energy efficiency?

The chart below is one way to think strategically about the ways in which IT systems can support a company's climate change / emissions reductions targets.

Taking just the upper left hand box on core operations, the actions organisations can take will affect their building/facilities, employee travel, or policies to manage IT infrastructure (PCs, data centres etc).

BT has come out with an environmental self-assessment tool for small businesses which helps assess where they can save most effectively. It isn't meant for a green IT strategy only, but it does look at offsetting travel, for example, one area where IT systems such as teleconferencing do make a big impact.

There is an active network on 2 degrees where PC efficiency and much more is discussed. There is another on creating low carbon data centres.

The box on the lower right may seem remote from your business, but this is where market development conditions are set. If you're a logistics company or a retailer, it may make sense to get involved in creating a freight exchange platform which would allow all companies to optimise logistics networks to pack trucks more fully, and fill them up on return journeys. This wouldn't be led by your company necessarily, but by participating, you'd drive the market and reduce emissions.

Do you have specific questions about an organisational level Green IT strategy? Let me know.