Green IT may cut costs by 20 percent

IT managers need to start thinking green to give their company a headstart over the competition.

Sustainability should be a key consideration when building IT infrastructure, according to a report by analyst firm Butler Group.

Mark Blowers, senior research analyst at Butler Group, pointed to significant cost savings of 10 to 20 percent that can be achieved by going green and IT's key role in meeting a company's sustainability objectives.

Radical solutions such as designing software to consume less processor cycles and using hardware that does not require a power-hungry AC-DC conversion should be standard practice, the report states.

In addition, the report encourages companies to drive down the waste of paper and ink when printing, increase recycling rates and use more recyclable equipment. It also recommends companies reduce reliance on products manufactured using toxic chemicals, switch off unused equipment, reduce underused servers and increase the use of fresh-air cooling.

The report, Sustainable IT provision: Meeting the challenge of corporate, social, and environmental responsibility, argues companies need to move beyond thinking they are doing enough by buying into the green claims of many vendors.

Blowers told ZDNet.co.uk sister site silicon.com that sustainable practice goes hand in hand with good asset management.

Blowers said: "Sustainability should be built in as a consideration when setting up IT systems in the same way that something such as cost is."

"There are significant savings to be made; even through simple things such as switching PCs off, companies can achieve something like 10 to 20 percent savings, and it will go a long way towards meeting the entire company's sustainability objective," Blowers added.