Green IT quest will continue: Forrester

NEWYORK, USA & BANGALORE, INDIA: The latest global green IT enterprise survey by independent research firm, Forrester Research, reveals that the slowing economy will not derail efforts to make IT operations more efficient and less environmentally harmful.

In fact, in the face of the recession, twice as many companies are accelerating their green IT initiatives compared to firms that are scaling back green projects. With 1022 respondent firms spread across the globe, this is Forrester’s fourth – and largest – survey of corporate green IT attitudes and adoption plans, and was done in October 2008 - in the midst of the economic meltdown.

Based on this survey, the Forrester report ‘Market Overview: A Slowing Economy Won't Slow Down Corporate Green IT Initiatives’ by Sr. VP, Chris Mines, highlights that the cost savings remains the No. 1 motivator for green IT initiatives.

Elaborates Mines, “The central value of green IT programs is taking hold among corporate IT practitioners. Of the companies surveyed, nearly half say they will accelerate or maintain their green IT projects. And the main reason: saving money -- 67-percent of respondents said reducing energy-related operating expenses was a motivation for pursuing a green IT agenda, up from 55-percent one year ago. In general, we find that US companies look for cost savings from green IT, while European and Asian (and Canadian) companies more frequently cite expected outcomes relating to corporate positioning.”

“Green IT is not a fad or a bubble,” writes Mines. “In tracking the attitudes and adoption of enterprise IT organizations for almost two years now, we are encouraged to see sustainable growth in the respondents’ green IT practices. The slow-but-steady increase in awareness and activity bodes well in our view for continued growth in demand for greener IT products and services. The survey shows a steady uptake of foundational green IT practices, including greener procurement criteria, documenting of action plans, and engagement with green IT service providers.”

The report also states that there is a steady increase in buyers’ awareness of tech vendors’ efforts to promote their products as environmentally friendly. And Forrester is seeing more companies documenting their steps to improve sustainability of IT infrastructure -- 52-percent of companies say they are either implementing or creating a “green IT action plan”, up from 40-percent last year.