Forrester Analyst Doug Washburn on Green IT Strategies

In a post on SustainableLifeMedia.com, Forrester analyst Doug Washburn calls out two ways companies can easily begin developing their green IT strategies. I’ve reprinted both below, and recommend checking them out.

From the piece, “Green IT Strategy: Where's the Low-Hanging Fruit?”:

1. First measure, then manage. While green IT extends far beyond energy efficiency, reducing IT's energy consumption does offer tangible environmental and economic benefits. To get started, we at Forrester recommend that you measure your green IT baseline – an annual estimate of the energy consumption, CO2 emissions and financial costs of operating IT. By exposing the energy "hogs" within and outside of the datacenter, you’ll be able to prioritize what greening projects will offer the most bang for the buck.

2. Determine whether or not you're in compliance. Depending on your location, proper disposal and recycling of IT assets may be required. If you are not in compliance, now is the time to start. And here's a tip to save time and money: Use your vendors, since they're required to help. If you operate in Europe, the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE Directive) imposes the responsibility for the disposal of waste electrical and electronic equipment on the manufacturers (a.k.a. your hardware vendors).

Find the full article here.