Symantec Corp. announced the findings of its 2009 Green IT Report, a
follow up to the GreenDataCenter report released in late 2007.
According to survey data, senior-level IT executives report significant
interest in green IT strategies and solutions, attributed to both cost
reduction and environmental responsibility. The data points to a shift
from implementing “green” technologies primarily for cost reduction
purposes, to a more balanced awareness of also improving the
organization’s environmental standing.
Ninety-seven percent of respondents state they are at least
discussing a green IT strategy, while 45 percent have already
implemented green IT initiatives. 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). Furthermore, 83 percent
of respondents are now responsible or cross-charged for the electricity
consumed in the data center—bringing visibility and accountability to
bear on the ultimate consumer of these resources.
“Over the past 12 months, IT has emerged as a new driving force in
implementing green
initiatives – not only for energy savings benefits, but also as a
result of widespread desire to implement environmentally responsible
practices,” said Jose Iglesias, vice president of Global Solutions at
Symantec Corporation. “The pendulum has swung both ways and IT is now
taking a balanced approach that is more integral to an organization’s
‘green’ strategy, proven by the fact that the vast majority of
respondents are now responsible for the energy costs of their data
center.”
IT executives report a significant increase in green IT budgets.
Seventy-three percent 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.
At the same time, IT is willing to pay a premium for energy
efficient products. Two-thirds of respondents said they would pay at
least 10 percent more, while 41 percent
are willing to pay at least 20 percent more. Additionally, 89 percent
of respondents said IT product efficiency is either important or very
important.
As organizations continue to adopt programs and practices to drive
environmental
responsibility throughout the enterprise, IT is increasingly important
to the broader enterprise “green” efforts. Perhaps the strongest
indicator, 83 percent of IT departments report they are now responsible
or cross-charged for electricity, providing a strong motivator for IT
to reduce energy costs.
Furthermore, 89 percent think IT should play a very or extremely
significant role in ‘green’ efforts and 82 percent have a corporate
green advocate, with more than one-fifth focusing exclusively on IT
initiatives.
IT professionals are regularly deploying several key initiatives for
green IT purposes. Replacing old equipment was the most popular
strategy, with 95 percent reporting 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). Additionally, more than half (57 percent) of respondents
see software-as-a-service offerings as “green” solutions.
Symantec
