Environmental concerns have been on the rise for decades now, and businesses have several good reasons to improve their green policies, even with technology like the cloud, cybersecurity and network management. This is called Green IT. Green IT focuses on the environmental impact of their technology, from data centers to daily IT operations. We’ll explore ways your business can adopt this stance and not only help the planet, but improve your brand as a green conscious business.
Understanding Green IT
Green IT (also called Green Computing) as we said above is an approach that focuses on environmentally sustainable practices throughout the IT lifecycle. It often involves designing, manufacturing, using and disposing of IT equipment in a way that reduces the negative impact on the planet. The goal is clear: preserve the environment and reduce our footprint on it. This can happen through energy efficiency, waste reduction, and the use of renewable resources. We’ll dig into the specifics of how you can start on that today.
Sustainable Data Centers
Data centers are the heart of IT infrastructures, and often they’re the culprit of high energy consumption. How can a company become more efficient with their data then? One approach is to invest in energy-efficient hardware first, things like cooling systems and servers. It takes some forethought and planning but it can be done and have a huge impact. Good news too is that it can reduce energy costs.
Virtualizaton is another practice that can have an impact. This allows for multiple virtual servers to run on a single power server, which can optimize resource utilization and reduce the need for additional hardware and draws even more power.
Data centers can also harness renewable energy like solar or wind power to meet their energy needs. Businesses can do this by implementing advanced power management systems and adopting energy-efficient cooling techniques that can improve the sustainability of data center operations. And again, this can save your business money in the long run.
Green Procurement and E-Waste Management
Procurement is an important stage where Green IT can come into play. Laptops, servers, and any hardware can have an impact on the bottom line. Choose energy-efficient devices and recycling-friendly materials as a starting point. One easy way to spot this is finding eco-friendly labels on hardware along with providers that market themselves as companies that prioritize sustainability.
E-waste management is another place to look. Proper disposal and recycling of electronic waste is easy to overlook but it can have an enormous impact. You can start by implementing e-waste management by handling obsolete IT equipment which can add to a circular economy where resources are reused and recycled.
Energy-Efficient IT Operations
This may sound broad but IT operations is a great place to start with Green IT. It’s things as simple as turning off computers and peripherals when they’re not in use, which will reduce energy consumption. Another practice is implementing power management policies along with encouraging employees to adopt energy-saving habits that contribute to a more sustainable business environment.
Remote Work and Telecommuting
With the pandemic, remote work became a necessary practice for businesses. And even after the pandemic, many businesses kept their remote work policies in place either through employee preference, to keep talent, or businesses saw the value in a more flexible work culture. Either way, this can have a more indirect environmental impact through removing work commutes which reduces carbon emissions. Also office spaces in many cases shrunk through having fewer employees in the office which reduced energy consumption. Last, cloud-based collaboration tools enabled seamless communication and collaboration, which eliminated the need for extensive travel and resource-intensive physical meetings. This helps that bottom line and the planet.
Flat Fees and Sustainable Budgeting
Now let’s move away from hardware and talk about IT costs. Making your IT planning more efficient often can start with assessing how much time, money and energy is spent on IT support. Adopting a flat-fee pricing model promotes sustainability by providing more predictable costs, which can reduce the need for constant and unnecessary upgrades. This becomes more of a long-term investment in the right managed service provider that provides this flat-fee model since many MSPs don’t operate this way. For many IT providers, it’s a contracted, remote-only service that bundles services which often leads to a bloated IT budget. They often upsell companies on technology they don’t need. Sustainable budgeting aligns the IT costs with environmental goals which creates a more balanced approach to recent technology and IT networks. BNC is proud to be a flat-fee, no contract IT company that provides in-person IT support, which aligns well with greener tech policies.
Virtual Chief Information Officers (CIOs)
Virtual Chief Information Officers (vCIOs) is a new term that’s popped up in the industry as of late. VCIOs act as a partner to businesses, guiding them toward more sustainable and environmentally friendly IT practices. This can happen through examining the impact a company’s tech has on decisions to create more energy-efficient IT setups. Without getting into specifics, having a vCIO can have a huge impact on knowing which actions to take on tech buying and all the practices mentioned above. Often business owners don’t have the knowledge or time to make those decisions themselves, and even having an MSP team of consultants can offer a huge boost over having one or two IT engineers on staff, which is often the case with SMBs.
Green IT Certification and Standards
Yes, there are certifications for Green IT. It not only puts those practices in play for a company, but it can often boost a brand by showing they care about the environment. The Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) is one example of this kind of standard, along with ISO 14001. Pursuing certifications like these, and keeping a close eye on compliance through an environmental lens can give your company a huge boost in reducing harm to the planet.
Challenges and Future Trends
We’re not going to sugarcoat this: there are challenges to Green IT. It’s easy to do nothing but the effects, as we’ve laid out above, exist when a company does nothing. It’s better to view Green IT not as an obstacle, but as something that helps their bottom line, their customers, and the environment. We didn’t dig into utilizing IT to help with Green IT, but that’s a great area to explore. In the long run, the benefits are obvious: reduced costs for the company, a better impact on the planet, and a better brand image. This is a relatively new area in IT but we expect IT companies and in turn their customers to start adopting Green IT as a greater focus when planning for the right IT provider.
Get In Touch With BNC
If you’re looking for a top notch managed service provider in Dallas, Denver, or Austin, BNC is here to assist you every step of the way. Contact us today to create a more sustainable IT infrastructure for your business. . Don’t hesitate to reach out and start doing your part to help the planet with BNC.
