Wear the right shade of green

roundup Green is red-hot.

At the Global Green IT conference this week, industry experts pointed out that going green is not a passing fad, and IT is and will be a fundamental part of environmental sustainability.

Businesses, however, should not take a narrow-minded approach when it comes to formulating a green IT strategy. "Focusing on IT power consumption alone misses the point", said Thyag Venkatesan, advisory manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers Singapore.

The other part of the equation, is seeking innovative--and custom--solutions to maximize energy efficiency in running the business.

There are case studies of how organizations have also moved to internalize green initiatives, and many have cited substantial cost savings in the process.

The World Wildlife Fund, for instance, has adopted a blend of pragmatic and radical practices to set a green example.

Citi, on the other hand, has witnessed a spike in electricity bills despite investments in energy-efficient data centers.

One thing is clear: opportunities abound, but there are also risks. Green tech, for now, comes at a premium--which some IT heads are willing to pay for--and there are other costs associated with tracking and auditing processes to facilitate efficiency.

Global players have shown how green has become a part of their business. The big question now is, when will it be Asia's turn?

The answer to that may not be in sight, but here's a look at some of the green issues that have made headlines in recent months.

To go green, focus on breaking habits
Enterprises need to work at changing employee mindsets and routine processes to succeed in their green IT strategy, say industry players.
June 24, 2008

Cutting the IT carbon footprint
Businesses, more than ever, need to assess how technologies such as application and desktop virtualization, can reduce carbon emissions.
June 23, 2008

Protecting the green IT message
Lowering carbon emissions and achieving energy efficiency may require radical changes in an organization, but the World Wildlife Fund is all for leading by example.
June 23, 2008

IBM goes modular in 'green' data centers
Project Big Green yields data centers that cut energy use in half and can be expanded in Lego-like building blocks.
June 12, 2008

Green IT is a goldmine, not a burden
Industry analyst Bruce McCabe says companies innovating around sustainability tech stand to make billions over the next decade.
May 22, 2008

Dell to cut PC energy use by 25 percent
After showing off an ultrasmall PC for consumers, computer maker sets 2010 energy efficiency targets for notebooks, desktops, servers, related components.
May 15, 2008

Autodesk add-in models 'green' goods to come
Autodesk Inventor software is adding calculators to help product makers forecast the carbon emissions and toxicity of their designs.
May 6, 2008

HP announces Sustainable IT Ecosystem Lab
The company's facility will investigate 'green' concepts including swapping out copper for fiber within PCs and making advertising hoardings from electronic paper.
May 5, 2008

CIOs are driving the green agenda
More IT chiefs are becoming green ambassadors or at least sitting on a green council because it is recognized they have a role to play, says a Cisco executive.
May 2, 2008

Sun pushes its green IT agenda
The server maker claims companies are still split between altruism and cost saving when it comes to energy-efficient computing.
April 29, 2008