Green IT; not just window shopping

And you know it when one of India's top retailers is shopping for stuff like Variable Frequency Devices, server virtualisation, SaaS or telecommuting. Pratima Harigunani of CyberMedia News talks to Ranjit Satyanath, general manager, Technology, Shoppers Stop and learns more.

How significant are green-oriented technologies, be it one your thought radar or investment drawing boards?

Currently our investments with respect to Green Technologies are giving us more benefits at the front end than at the back. Take our energy monitoring systems for example. This has given us significant savings in energy consumption. Variable Frequency Devices (VFDs) constantly check the ambient temperature and regulate the working of AC chillers for more efficient power consumption. Escalator sensors ensures that they work only when required and not all day.

Do SaaS models or Green cloud computing excite on the green returns? Or may be on the cost arithmetics?

As far as pure IT is concerned, Shoppers Stop has invested in virtualisation of its servers last year. We use workstations with energy friendly CPUs. Our E-commerce venture works on a SAAS model.

This ensures that while our costs are low we can scale up whenever required all the while using shared infrastructure. Cloud computing as model has potential but right now it looks to be a long-term proposition. The idea of not having to manage any servers and being able to buy just CPU cycles is an interesting and exciting thought.

What else are you trying out?

One of the other initiatives that we are working on is Telecommuting. The challenge for IT here is in –putting an ecosystem in place so that the employee's productivity does not drop while working from home. Right now we are piloting this with some employees.

Can you share the practical side of green-inclined stuff in terms of problems, scalability, ROI, usability etc?

People seem to be taking interest in energy saving devices more from a view to save costs rather than any concern for environment. But at least it provides an initiative for CIOs to go Green. I feel this initiative will receive better impetus if the GOI has some kind of regulations on the energy consumption of devices. At least it would ensure that companies have a Green IT strategy in place.

Another issue that does not get debated much in the IT circles is about e-waste that we generate. Currently one has to go with manufacturer claims on energy consumption or the carbon footprint of devices.

It would help CIOs during the buying process if a central body published something like an "Energy Star" rating for the power consumption and a "Green Star" rating which would give an indication towards the use of toxic chemicals like PVC, brominated flame retardants and antimony trioxide in the manufacturing process.