Local companies are aware of making IT green-friendly but are only slowly catching on to the importance of it, says a Cape Town-based start-up company, SustainableIT.
Formed eight weeks ago by former Microsoft UK executive Tim James and his wife, who worked in the environmental sector, the company resells the "Nightwatchman" PC power management software system developed by UK-based company "1e".
SustainableIT`s business case is based on the premise that a large portion of power usage by companies` IT departments is caused by desktop systems running.
"Companies are in a bit of a quandary here. The optimum time to distribute patches and to complete other software maintenance is after the normal working hours. However, to save energy, some companies are saying their staff must turn off their desktops after hours and this means the patches cannot be completed," James says.
He adds that a power management system allows network administrators to manage the powering off and on of the desktops to ensure power is saved while making sure the necessary maintenance is completed.
James also points out that printing uses a lot of energy and this must also be managed properly in order to conserve power and cut down on greenhouse gasses.
"The paper manufacturing industry in the US is the second largest consumer of power there and companies are still not encouraging their employees to print as little as possible," he says.
Green predictions
International research firm Gartner says in its Key Predictions for IT Organisations and Users in 2008 that, by 2010, 75% of organisations will use full lifecycle energy and CO2 footprint as mandatory PC hardware buying criteria.
"Most technology providers have little or no knowledge of the full lifecycle energy and CO2 footprint of their products. Some technology providers have started the process of lifecycle assessments, or at least were asking key suppliers about carbon and energy use in 2007 and will continue in 2008," Gartner says.
The predictions say most suppliers will begin to use green information to differentiate their products from 2009. By 2010, enterprises will be able to start using the information as a basis for purchasing decisions.
Gartner also says that by 2011, suppliers to large global enterprises will need to prove their green credentials via an audited process to retain preferred supplier status.
SustainableIT will attend the ITWeb Green IT Conference to be held on 13 May in Johannesburg.
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