subject: Asian Network Infrastructure And The Planet - 6 Steps To Greening Your Computing Fleet [print this page] Computing is not usually thought of as an industry that contributes to the health of the planet. Science and research do - but Information and Communications Technology doesn't have the reputation of a green warrior industry.
Today we check out how information technology infrastructure and Asian network operations can be its environmentally responsible best> the main strategy is cutting power consumption in an area that surveys indicate makes the biggest impact on the environment - PCs and related items. It's a simple 6-step process with a minimal impact on your corporate budget and outgoings, and best of all can be started today.
The Tangible Impact of Information Technology Infrastructure Energy Efficiency
For most corporations, actions to increase the level of environmental responsibility have 3 drivers: the potential for cost savings, the potential for better branding and new business through being known as a 'green' business, and the personal satisfaction that comes along with operating with a minimal ecological impact.
The cost savings of having your information technology consultants green your Asian network infrastructure and PCs are the easiest to quantify. If you can manage to cut down desktop PC power usage by 200 kWh per year (not an unrealistic aim), you'll save 26 dollars per year, per PC. Over 3 years, an organization running 2000 PCs will save around 50,000 dollars in PC running costs. Certainly, more than a drop in the ocean.
6 Steps to Greening Your Asian Network Infrastructure
The process of greening your information technology infrastructure focuses mainly on the planning phase, and consists of around 6 steps.
1. Set a mandate and goals, allocate resources: Ideally this will be done in consultation with upper level management; however, it is possible for IT teams to do it within the department. Ensure that your goals are SMART, that is, Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Responsible and Timely.
2. Establish a team and an advocate. You will need a team consisting of both in-house IT people, IT consultants, and related functions across the business in order to carry out the process of greening your desktop Asian network infrastructure. Get the Facilities department on board - they will be crucial in measuring the impact of your initiatives on actual power consumption and therefore costs, as well as an advocate from within management that can help support the cause at higher levels of decision making.
3. Establish baseline figures. You will need to know where you stand with regards to information technology infrastructure power consumption according to profiles such as peak times of day, end-user power consumption profiles, and consumption per user type. Know where you stand with regard to hardware assets, also.
4. Develop and implement a greening plan. This is the 'meat' of your project to cut power consumption for Asian network infrastructure and desktops. Here you'll be identifying optimal power consumption levels, creating your step-by-step plan, deploying the changes and then troubleshooting.
5. Ride the deployment cycle: The last two steps in the implementation phase are not single-time actions, they are cyclical and ongoing. Your information technology consultants and in-house team will need to deploy, troubleshoot, deploy and repeat.
6. Monitor the effects: You'll need to monitor individual machines as well as the fleet as a whole, and constantly assess whether the goals are being met.
At the end of all this Asian network operations work, don't forget to communicate your success! You may inspire other departments, and even other companies, to do the same.
