UK businesses admit Green IT shortcomings

LONDON, UK: Specialist value-added distributor Bell Micro has launched independent research findings which point to the critical role that senior executives must play in both the introduction, and subsequent roll out, of successful green IT policies. The report, entitled ‘Passing The Green IT Buck’, reveals the shocking reality that 79 percent of UK companies have failed to adopt a formal policy and a staggering 91 percent have failed to apportion specific budget to green IT issues.

Interviewing senior level IT management from across 350 enterprise organisations of various sizes and industry sectors has perhaps provided the first clear insight into the realities of a nation supposedly consumed by being ‘green’. But whilst many companies shout about their green credentials, the reality in the IT department is far less encouraging with the failure of drive originating from a perceived lack of leadership at the top of business.

Green issues are reported as being taken seriously by 84 percent of organisations, elevating the issue to the attention of top management. Yet despite this claim, only half of the UK IT decision makers interviewed actually believed that the drive for green IT initiatives comes from the CEO or MD. Only 27 percent see the impetus coming from employees attempting to drive policy change.

When it comes to proactively initiating green process the results were even more disconcerting. 91 percent of UK organisations have failed to allocate specific budget to accommodate necessary changes, with only percent of large organisations finding it necessary to assign a specialist project team that can drive green changes across a business. In the SME category this falls to just 2 percent.

“Now must be the time to take a proactive approach to reducing the levels of power consumption and hardware wastage, if not purely to reduce financial expenditure but also because enforcing green policies is being increasingly seen as the right ethical response,” said Antony Young, Director - Services, Security & Networking Divisions at Bell Micro.

“What is clear from the research findings is that when it comes to being green CEO’s must drive the business policies forward.  It is disconcerting that the research does not yet indicate a significant level of action, but it also suggests that changes are ready to be made which is promising.”