Green computing is often be unhelpfully dismissed as the higher the cost, the greener the device. Now whilst that may sometimes be true, it fails to consider the wider implications of excess energy consumption and the likely short to medium term increasing cost of energy. Essentially the condensed version for your CEO is “saving energy = saving money!

Simple first steps

First and foremost, switch off devices that aren’t being used. Encourage users to switch off their local equipment when they leave the building.

Recycle isn’t always the answer

Recycling is a much vaunted tenet of the green movement; however for technology replacement may actually be greener than reuse. Always assuming, of course, that disposal is handled in an environmentally sensitive way.

Resist the urge to recycle that 3 year old workstation as a "cheap" server. Firstly the workstation will doubtless include a number of power consuming items that simply aren’t necessary for server usage. Secondly the video card will surely be very much over-spec for a server and a recent card could well be consuming over 100watts of power, whereas energy efficient Intel Xeon processors could be consuming as little as 50watts.

Consolidate Functionality

You’ve probably got a number of servers running with very low overall utilization. Run Performance Monitor to get a baseline for overall usage. If you’re seeing single digit percentage CPU usage, then the server is probably a prime candidate for virtualization. Putting several underused servers onto a single box with the magic of virtualization provides considerably more for each watt of power used. However do keep in mind that you’ve created a single point of hardware failure which should be carefully considered before proceeding.

Configure devices for efficiency

Ensure that you take advantage of any built-in power saving functionality. Most modern printers will enter a low power mode after a certain period of inactivity. Persuading users to only print where necessary will save even more power. Monitors can be configured to sleep when unused. While individually the savings from making these changes are quite small, they will quickly accumulate.

     

Certainly CeBIT can't be accused of bucking the trend by highlighting green technology this year.  By creating a "Green IT Village" they are attempting to create a buzz around this hot button topic.  The big question is are IT buyers as concerned about this topic as the media believe the general public are? While companies are always keen to cut costs, going green may well be the more expensive option. 

We'll certaintly be paying close attention to see if all this green technology is simply marketing spin or genuine innovation.