A survey has revealed that as many as 40 percent of UK organisations do not have any green IT policies in place, with many reluctant to implement even the most simple of measures.
The research, commissioned by Faronics, attempted to establish what carbon reduction efforts have been put in place by UK organisations, as well as consumer and business attitudes towards green IT and what impact these may have on productivity.
The study indicates that some organisations do not even adopt simple measures such as powering down PCs after hours, a policy which could save an estimated £30.8m every day. Many companies believe that desktops need to be on for routine security updates, with 36 percent believing that powering down desktops would affect IT maintenance.
It is believed that as many as 80 percent of desktop computers are unmanaged, with PC power management tools rarely employed by IT departments because they are not responsible for power costs. However the market for such software is expected to grow as the cost of energy increases.
Faronics argues the focus of green IT policies on large, centralised initiatives such as data centre and server strategies means that more local solutions are neglected.
“While focusing green IT solely on the data centre is certainly a step in the right direction, it can divert attention away from more basic, everyday measures such as powering down idle desktops,” said Bimal Parmar, vice president of product marketing at Faronics. “The impact of a sound desktop management strategy should not be underestimated, especially when considering that only 30 percent of a desktop’s energy is actually utilised productively. This not only wastes a significant amount of power, but also results in unnecessarily high costs.”
The survey also revealed that just 27 percent of UK organisations consider corporate social responsibility, and reputation to be the primary reason for enforcing Green IT policies, but Faronics argues that the release of the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) Performance League Table indicates a growing focus on power consumption.
“This proportion is bound to rise as the CRC’s naming and shaming of underperforming companies begins to have an impact on brand reputation,” commented Parmar. “Consumers are becoming increasingly eco-savvy and those delivering superior energy and environmental performance are beginning to appeal much more to potential customers.”
Despite adoption of the CRC being heavily encouraged by the government, nearly half of UK firms said that they wanted the CRC Scheme scrapped as the league table showed that many were failing to meet emissions targets.
Investor appeasement? Apple unveils huge $110 billion share buyback program, as sales of iPhone decline…
Tesla retreats from pioneering gigacasting manufacturing process, amid cost cutting and challenges at EV giant
No skynet please. After the US, UK and France pledge human only control of nuclear…
Microsoft's AI investments continue in south east Asia, after investments in Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, as…
New chapter for LastPass as it becomes an independent company to focus on cybersecurity, after…
US FCC seeks to ban Chinese telecom firms at centre of national security concerns from…