45% of Firms Adopting Green IT Strategies, Budgets Rising

May 28, 2009

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Nearly all senior-level IT executives are at least discussing a green information technology (IT) strategy, while 45 percent have already implemented green IT initiatives, according to a recent survey by Symantec Corp.

A key finding of the 2009 Green IT Report, a follow up to the Green Data Center report released in late 2007, shows that senior-level IT executives are interested in green IT strategies and solutions for both cost reduction and environmental responsibility reasons. Symantec says the data points to a shift from implementing “green” technologies primarily for cost reduction purposes to improving the organization’s environmental standing.

The survey also indicates that green IT budgets are increasing. Seventy-three percent of survey respondents expect an increase in green IT budgets over the next 12 months, while 19 percent expect increases of more than 10 percent. The typical respondent reported spending $21 to $27 million on data center electricity.

Symantec says IT decision makers are increasingly justifying green IT solutions by more than cost and IT efficiency benefits. Respondents cited key drivers as reducing electricity consumption (90 percent), reducing cooling costs (87 percent), and corporate pressure to be “green” (86 percent). In addition, 83 percent of respondents are now responsible for the electricity consumed in the data center.

IT also is willing to pay a premium for energy-efficient products, according to survey results. Two-thirds of respondents say they would pay at least 10 percent more, while 41 percent are willing to pay at least 20 percent more. Nearly 90 percent of respondents say IT product efficiency is either important or very important.

Another key finding indicates that IT professionals are regularly deploying several key initiatives for green IT purposes. Ninety-five percent of the respondents report new energy-efficient equipment as part of their strategy, followed by monitoring power consumption (94 percent), server virtualization (94 percent), and server consolidation (93 percent). More than half (57 percent) of respondents see software-as-a-service offerings as “green” solutions.

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Reader Comments

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T-One | September 15th, 2009