Green is really just another way of saying 'energy-efficient'

OK, we all know that when it comes to green tech, it's REALLY about lean tech. Right? I mean, I'm sure that's why many of the IT managers who read this blog even bother spending time.

That's what CDW figures, too, so in addition to the two green surveys it already has released over this summer, it has a third one out that specifically looks at energy efficiency concerns of 778 IT professionals from business, government and education accounts. CDW calls this report its 2008 Energy Efficient IT report.

Some quick bullets on the results: - More than 40 percent of the IT professionals said they don't actually see their organization's electricity or energy consumption reports. - The 39 percent of IT folks who DID have an energy management project or initiative reported that they had reduced their IT energy costs by as much as 40 percent. The most successful measures included buying systems with lower power processors, buying Energy Star 4.0-qualifying equipment, adopting power management and shut-down policies for technology that is idle, embracing consolidation and virtualization projects. - Only one-third of IT professionals actually make energy efficiency one of the top criteria for buying new technology. What's more, only one-third of the respondents said they actually take advantage of all the power management options on the equipment that they have bought, which suggests a lack of policy. - One thing holding back buyers is the lack of clear standards or metrics about what actually makes for energy-efficient equipment, especially in the data center. - Of the various individual groups responding to this survey, businesses were the most likely to report a reduction in actual energy costs. Federal agencies were more likely to have a formal policy, but state and local government buyers were actually the closest to reaching the limits of their current power supply.

Here's a link to the full report and, yes, CDW will require you to give up your name to download a copy.