Are You Using Green IT Services?

Alarmingly, it is reported that IT creates 2% of the world’s carbon emissions. This figure comprises the total effect of IT, including the creation of hardware and software as well as the running of data centres and the ongoing costs of recycling and disposing of aging equipment. As an industry therefore, it would seem that IT has a lot to answer for ecologically.

However it should be noted that IT has a key role to play in reducing carbon output in many other areas of industry, as the use of technology can help save carbon output. Teleconferencing is an oft-quoted example, by which carbon that would be emitted by people traveling to a meeting is saved by the use of computing. It is estimated that IT can help deliver 15% savings in carbon emissions right across industry.

In itself and its own practices however, IT can help the ecology. Cloud computing and server virtualization are two technologies that help reduce carbon output. Cloud computing is useful as cloud computing facilities consume less power than would be used if each cloud computing client provided their own technology to achieve the same goals. Virtualization conglomerates computing power with multiple server instances using a single set of hardware rather than the traditional ‘one OS per machine’ model. The IT industry has always been at the forefront of emerging technology, and so it can be expected that as greater emphasis is put on green policies, it will be the IT industry who will be early adopters of environmentally friendly technologies.

With carbon trading systems and carbon taxes both poised to be implemented across the world, it will be up to every company to reduce their carbon footprint. IT can play a key part in helping to achieve this. Additionally the IT industry itself can reduce its own carbon footprint, especially in its supply chain (the production of IT resources) which is where the majority of carbon emissions are created. An industry at the forefront of technology needs to lead the way for others: this is the IT industry’s biggest challenge.