Going Green??? Don't forget Software

CIOs shouldn't limit their focus to server and storage hardware when launching energy-efficiency programs.

By Bob Violino
August 15, 2008



Going Green? Don't Forget SoftwareWhen people think of “green” IT efforts, chances are they consider areas such as server consolidation, energy-efficient storage and other hardware-related initiatives. After all, servers and storage systems are consuming much of the power in data centers.

But software can also play a significant role in running more environmentally friendly technology infrastructures. CIOs who fail to look at how software can help reduce energy consumption are missing out on good opportunities to make their organizations greener.

There are three distinct areas to consider when it comes to green software efforts, says Richard Hodges, founder and CEO of GreenIT, a consulting firm that specializes on the emerging field of environmentally sustainable IT and communications systems.

First, software “needs to drive hardware decisions [that] create the eco-footprint of IT,” Hodges says. “The more efficient your applications and system software is, the less hardware is needed to run it. Less hardware means less power, less cooling, less material used and less electronic waste.”

The second area encompasses software tools that can be used for measuring and managing the eco-footprint of IT. For example, Hodges says, software is available to help organizations figure out what hardware and software they actually have, and what they can do with it. Specialized applications can be used for automatically managing desktop power consumption. “There are numerous software tools available for data center power monitoring and management,” he says.

The third area is comprised of software tools that support information and communication technology-driven innovation. For example, Hodges says, corporate social responsibility software automates reporting and supplants basic record-keeping tools such as spreadsheets. Other software, such as dashboards and enterprise sustainability reporting, will become an important new product area for software and will help drive the realization of sustainability goals, he says.

“Greening, [also called] sustainability or eco-responsibility, is not a fad,” Hodges says. “It is a major, long-term trend,” and any enterprise that wants to be successful must have a sustainability plan and partner with the right people to execute it. “That plan should explicitly address the role of IT, which is too often overlooked,” Hodges says. “CIOs are well-positioned to take a leadership role for the sustainability program of the entire enterprise and demonstrate their credentials as strategic thinkers.”

When implementing greener IT operations, Hodges says CIOs should adopt what GreenIT refers to as the ER3 Principle: Eliminate, then reduce, reuse and recycle. “This is particularly true for software,” he says. “The results are better eco-performance, reduced IT costs and more-efficient overall operations.”

Hodges says the biggest mistake organizations can make with a green IT effort is not making a long-term commitment and developing a systematic process that assesses opportunities, quantifies benefits and develops a practical plan for efficiency and innovation.

What’s at stake if organizations fail to implement strategic plans for green IT? For one thing, they could miss out on immediate opportunities for a competitive advantage, Hodges says. For another, there’s “the long-term inevitability that if you don’t develop an ongoing process to make your operation more efficient and eco-responsible, somebody will come in to make you do it.”