Forrester: IT planners to get a jolt of green this year
Forrester Research believes IT operations folk and facilities managers will be fielding more and more green tech questions as the year wears on. And, amazingly enough, if you think about the main impetus that most businesses have to do this -- namely saving money -- this is one prediction that isn't likely to be whacked out by the "R" word.
So here are five things that Forrester thinks anyone with IT management responsibility should get a better handle on. Some are no-brainers. Others will take a bit more digging. It bases its observations on the results of a recent enterprise IT survey.
1. Understanding your data center efficiency. According to Forrester, somewhere around one-third of data center managers still are "not interested" in increasing energy efficiency. That's because they haven't figured out how to justify the upfront investment in, say, a more expensive power management system. 2. Green requirements for suppliers. Forrester said that about 38 percent of the survey respondents said their companies now include things like green manufacturing practices, operations or disposal methods in their check-list of selection criteria for IT purchases. This compares with just 25 percent six months ago. 3. Assessing and accelerating green IT projects. A whole slew of service providers is beginning to align itself around the green IT opportunity. Picking the right one will be critical. 4. Dealing with IT asset disposal. What, exactly, can you do with all your old hardware? Is recycling or refurbishment the answer? 5. Beyond the data center. Much of green tech coverage you read right now hinges on greener versions of products that are very familiar. But, green tech is about much more than that. IT managers will need to get a grip on technologies that aren't necessarily green but that help their companies become greener. Such as software to help manage carbon footprints or teleconferencing gear that can cut down on travel.
If you'd like to poke at the Forrester report some more, you can find it here.