KATHMANDU, NEPAL: Green IT is a major buzzword today. Are organizations in India geared up to go green? This was the theme of the session on Green IT, presented by Prasanto Kumar Roy, President, ICT Group, CyberMedia India Ltd.

According to a survey recently conducted to see how green is India Inc. today, some interesting points have come up. 
- 43.5 percent of MNCs feel that Green IT is a reality, while 39.6 percent of Indian private limited companies feel the same. And, 52 percent of the PSUs felt it was a reality as well.

One of the questions asked was - What is Green IT? The top three responses were:
* Configure desktops to enter the sleep mode when not in use: 33.2 percent
* E-waste/computer waste recycling: 30.2 percent
* Server consolidation: 29.2 percent

Are the companies aware of green standards? The top three responses were:
* 51.5 percent of the respondents were aware of the Energy Star.
* 39.9 percent were aware of the ISO14000/ISO14001
* 32.8 percent were aware of the Climate Saver Computing Initiative

As for data center, server management, 26.3 percent had already implemented upgrading or reconfiguring the data center cooling infrastructure for improved efficiency. And, 31.4 percent had already implemented reduction of server power consumption using thin client architecture.

Indeed, green for tough times. The key points here is, green within the IT environment. Beyond the IT environment; and well, why now? According to the survey, 35 percent said that less than 5 percent of the IT budgets had been provisioned for green.

As for green buildings, and especially, regular monitoring of carbon footprint, very few have done; but many said they will start in next six months.

Why Green IT? A majority, 78 percent, said it was to reduce costs, and 54 percent felt that it is related to environmental issues. About 29 percent each also said it was for compliance and corporate image building.

Is Green IT among your top 3 opex costs?
* Capex cost -- hitting the backup envelope.
This is a significant issue for those in areas with high power outages. Telcos have towers all over the place. You could also hit the backup envelope if you are having a new setup.
* Remote area operation
* Is energy 3 percent of your turnover?
- Is it 5 percent of net margins? Or, 10 percent of opex?