theartofservice

When going green, how do you know that you are getting the greatest benefits? This is a good opportunity to evaluate your initiatives for a sustainable company. Earlier this year, InformationWeek suggested five areas to look at in their report by Michael Healey, The Eco-Enterprise and the Reality of Green IT.

Power Saving ROI – what is the real power savings delivered by an initiative. There are two classes of solutions for initiatives to take: reduce the total consumption or rely more on sustainable power sources. The first class can be better understood by checking the power ratings of IT equipment within the environment. Focus on purchasing equipment that uses less power. Most computer systems have power save features built into them. Create companies policies to take advantage of these features, shutting down or hibernating equipment that is not in use.

The second class have a variety of solutions present. The design of a building can provide can reduce power consumption for lighting and heat. Innovative ideas have been implemented in this area for years, from solar panels intermixed with windows to a power producing waterfall within a company’s atrium.

Productivity ROI – Though energy is the most visible “green” concern, it’s not the only one. Time savings is another concern. The less time required to perform a task, the less power used. The less human resources involved as well. Virtualization provides opportunities to save power and time. But not all initiatives increase productivity. Shutting down computers at night requires a few minutes of non-productive time the next morning waiting for the computer to start up.

Environment Impact – A hard concept to measure, but fairly easier to monitor, the best suggestion is to ensure that to reduce the negative impact to the environment. One possible option is to earmark the cost savings of the initiative over time to another worthwhile “green” initiative within the company or externally. The financial ROI may take longer to reach but will show the company’s commitment to the environment which may draw more customers to the company.

Upfront Cost – Always a concern. The best approach is to start with educating the workforce and make small changes with very little change in upfront costs. Keep in mind some some of these costs are slight, such as spending a few more dollars for a power efficient computer rather than just trying to meet the minimum technical specifications.

User Receptiveness – As mentioned, education is the best start. The workforce needs to embrace the need for any environmentally conscious initiative. Any one initiative isn’t going to provide the Holy Grail solution for saving the environment and bringing outstanding ROIs without the support of the workforce. Make sure they understand and implement.