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The Greening of IT
Book

The Greening of IT

How Companies Can Make a Difference for the Environment

John Lamb
IBM Press, 2009

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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Applicable

Recommendation

As conventional energy sources dry up, the cost of electricity increases. Expanding energy usage is wreaking havoc on the environment, so businesses must find ways to become more energy efficient. Organizations of any size that spend heavily to power and cool their information technology (IT) operations can save money and help the planet by going green in IT. John Lamb, an IT architect, explains how to get that done in this informative, comprehensive and eminently practical book. He offers many helpful case studies of a wide variety of companies and nonprofits that have successfully made the transition to green IT. He presents a strong business case for environmentally sound IT, describes best practices and touches on some primary technical issues. getAbstract suggests Lamb’s thoughtful guide to CEOs, chief information officers and other IT professionals. Executives of all kinds will be able to understand this book, though Lamb includes enough technical data to provide extra utility to IT experts who want to make their operations less costly and more sustainable.

Summary

Information Technology Is an Energy Hog

Corporate information technology (IT) includes more than data centers. It encompasses all your company’s electronics, from handheld devices to laptops, and it consumes vast amounts of energy. In the U.S., data centers used five billion watts of electricity from 2000 to 2005, and that usage is growing. Information technology contributes substantially to greenhouse gases, which exacerbate global warming. In fact, “about 2% of global carbon emissions are due to the direct effects of IT usage, especially data centers.” So, in line with both corporate social responsibility and cost effectiveness, companies must focus on making their operations energy efficient, including IT.

Energy solutions, like using fluid cooling instead of air conditioning, and opting for “virtual servers, blade servers and virtual data storage,” can reduce IT energy usage by 50%. IBM estimates that a 25,000-square-foot data center costs $2.5 million annually to power and cool, based on 12 cents per kilowatt-hour.

Fortunately, making your IT department greener is not as hard as you may think. For example, most companies replace their computer equipment...

About the Author

John Lamb, Ph.D., a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, is the author of four books. He earned his Ph.D. from Engineering Science from the University of California at Berkeley.

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