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 I just finished reading an article over at PC World, which reports on some of the discussions going on this week at ComputerWorld’s Infrastructure Management World (IMW) conference.
Not surprisingly, at a business level, it’s generally accepted that the shift to environmentally friendly equipment and practices will come not because of some great ethical concern for the state of our planet, but because, at the end of the day, it’s better on the bottom line to go green.
Not only that, but buying new computing gear that doesn’t have some green element to it is getting harder and harder. As manufacturers are increasingly forced through legislation, pressure from the public, and let’s not be too cynical, through a genuine desire to reduce the harm they cause to the environment, they’re creating products that are more eco-friendly. Most new tech products have some environmental component attached to them, whether it be increased energy efficiency, reduced heat dissipation, fewer hazardous chemicals or a smaller form factor.
Asked whether green computing was a fad or a long-term reality, the attendees at the conference overwhelmingly came down in favour of the latter. As one of them commented, "Green IT is a foregone conclusion; it will be part of your next data center."
He went on to suggest that “if nothing else…energy costs require IT to take a hard look at green technologies. Ten years ago, around 17 cents out of every dollar spent on a new server went to power and cooling. Today, that's up to 48 cents, and if things don't change, that number will eventually grow to 78 cents.”
Ultimately, does it really matter why people or companies adopt green technology and standards? I don’t think so. Obviously, wanting to adopt eco-friendly computing technology for ethical reasons is great, but we’re in the enviable position now that whatever the motivation, the result is a greener environment.
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