How can Green IT help both top and bottom line revenues?

Green IT - sounds expensive, doesn't it? With CEOs focused on driving revenue and increasing profitability, not many organizations are writing Green IT into their budgets. In an article published in July 2010 by Forrester Research, analysts found that while only 26% of companies budget for Green IT, IT professionals are adopting green technologies in the data center and throughout the network at a rate of almost 70%. The results have been decidedly positive for both top and bottom line revenues for organizations that have implemented Green IT solutions. What's a good starting point for those that wish to reap the benefits of Green IT? Forrester recommends that you look into the data center. New technologies such as modular distributed power and cooling systems and server virtualization can add to an organization's bottom line by significantly reducing IT electrical expenses. 30% of all servers are considered "dead," with 3% or less utilization, and could be drawing up to three times the power through a distributed power system than the server actually needs. The bottom-line impact of server virtualization has led to a 70% adoption rate among enterprise and small-to-medium business organizations. In addition to the data center, distributed IT assets, or "endpoints" such as printers, PCs, and monitors account for 55% of an average organization's IT power consumption. Consolidating printing environments can reduce energy consumption by 50%. Upgrading to U.S. EPA Energy Star qualified PCs can save from $25 - $75 per computer per year. While taking advantage of energy efficient technologies can help companies increase profitability, how can Green IT be used to bring in additional customers and revenue? Answer: by leveraging technologies that deliver both value and financial return. Videoconferencing for example, can accelerate the sales process through reduced travel time while decreasing corporate carbon emissions. Companies can incentivize customers to "go green" with paperless billing (online bill pay, automatic check payments, and debit card transactions) which reduces energy consumption and helps them to get paid faster. Source: Green IT Plans And Activities Persist In 2010 Despite Lack Of Formal Budgets And Priorities, Forrester Research, July 2010 John Allegro is director of marketing for BBH Solutions, Inc., New York, N.Y.