Green IT for the IT Channel

Remember Green IT? Though the recent economic plunge has certainly had an impact on the growth of eco-friendly technology, the more recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and rising energy prices (again) have once again proven that the environment and our limited resources are never too far away from the front page (no, I don’t actually read actual newspapers but it is still a good metaphor). Though it would be nice to think that people care about Green IT just because they care about our world and its environment, the best argument for eco-friendly technology is still its long-term cost savings potential (which has an even greater impact when you envision the added costs of increased government regulation). 

So what does this mean to you?
The amount of energy our IT equipment uses and the potential impact discarded technology has on our landfill will continue to be scrutinized as we look at ways to save both energy and our environment. For you, this translates into potential new services as well as the ability to provide old services in a new “Green” light.  Green is still a positive in business and it will likely continue to grow in the coming years. It may also gain popularity (or its inverse) via the regulatory compliance route. Think of HIPAA, Sarbanes-Oxley, Gramm-Leach-Bliley and others: all which have had a rather positive impact on the IT services we provide and will likely continue to do so.

Green IT will also, to some extent drive virtualization and cloud computing efforts—as these are, at their core, efforts to drive efficiency, including more resourceful energy usage. But again, you don’t have to take my word for it: CompTIA’s research department has assembled some interesting statistics in this area, which you can take advantage of:

• Green IT has become a larger priority for most organizations, with 60% having already developed either a partial or comprehensive green IT strategy. This covers issues such as energy consumption, equipment usage, recycling, carbon footprint and other green behaviors.


• 67% of companies indicate that green IT is a mid- to high-level priority for their organization.


• 21% of organizations have a green compliance officer or another person responsible for coordinating the firm’s environmental activities.


• 1 in 5 businesses have budget allocated specifically for eco-friendly technology initiatives. An additional 35% say they’ll move in that direction over the next two years.


• Cost savings and energy consumption are the top two drivers of companies’ green IT initiatives.


• 17% of organizations currently use some type of software application to assist in measuring and monitoring energy consumption, with an additional 38% planning to do so.


• A number of companies conduct green IT audits. For instance, nearly three in four businesses perform assessments of their energy consumption/power management.


• Organizations face several challenges when starting green IT initiatives including, but not limited to, implementation costs, lack of organizational resources and difficulty calculating the ROI of these programs.


• When evaluating IT product hardware purchases, organizations are largely concerned with power consumption, eco-friendly seals of approval (such as Energy Star) and ease of disposal. The use of non-toxic, environmentally friendly recycled materials is also an important criterion.


• Approximately two-thirds of IT service providers believe that green IT business opportunities have become more important over the past year.


• 28% of IT service providers use external consultants or experts to help them understand and manage WEEE/RoHS compliance requirements.


• 86% of respondents found IT service providers helpful with information and/or consultation on green IT products, when offered.


• Many IT service providers plan on providing additional services to help organizations reduce carbon footprint, such as energy efficient products and network and energy audits.

 Source: CompTIA Research Department Green IT: Insights and Opportunities August 2009

Our intent is to provide great data which we hope you find useful. Green IT provides both opportunity and challenges for the channel. I’ve noticed that the successful service providers tend to be focused in on a particular area of expertise or a vertical. Though they may provide a range of services (or use collaboration partners to supply them), their expertise and resources in a certain area allow them to differentiate themselves from competitors and get their foot in the door. Green IT is certainly one differentiator that you should be considering. I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that we now offer a Strata Green IT Certificate, which certifies the eco-friendly technology knowledge of your staff and will authenticate your level of expertise in this area for your customers. See http://www.comptia.org/certifications/strata/greenit.aspx for more information.

So to summarize Green IT: is it a fad or the future? I believe it is a long-term trend that will become more prominent in the coming years. You might want to consider (or reconsider) services offerings in this area, and be sure to check in with CompTIA for additional research and reports on this topic. 

Do you have questions or comments? Are you making money on Green IT now? Let me know at [email protected]