Many organisations – and especially IT companies – cite the term Green IT, yet not many people understand what this means. Are there genuine benefits or is it simply the latest IT marketing spin to encourage firms to spend on IT consultants?
Chippenham-based IT provider ITS has come up with four tips to dispel the rhetoric and help clients understand what works, what doesn’t and the benefits of embracing green IT:
• Use flat screens. They take up less room, last longer and as a result should be the greener option. So replace those old, big screens.
• Offset energy used in the manufacturing process. Some 70 per cent of the natural resources consumed in the lifetime of a monitor are used during manufacturing. So offset this by cleaning the insides of PCs – dust and unnecessary software will clog your system and slow down its performance – and by adding memory and upgrading software.
• Use power-efficient servers to run the processor and memory, and move the running of applications to a server-based rather than desktop-based model. This will result in reduced hardware purchase and running costs. It’s known in the trade as ‘going thin’.
• Consider cloud computing or virtualisation. Not only will this considerably reduce the hardware required but is the best way to facilitate system backup and enable disaster recovery from unexpected interruptions such as flooding, fire, theft and more.
The above measures will prolong the life of systems, deliver operational and cost savings and reduce a firm’s carbon footprint. To find out more from a team that champions green IT and uses plain English, call ITS on 0845 241 7410 or email info@itsis.co.uk.
