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Green IT – Are we there yet?

Announcement posted by Connection Research 05 May 2010

The second annual Green IT report is released

Sydney, 5 May 2010. Australian IT users are less than halfway down the path to effective Green IT. Connection Research’s second annual Green IT survey shows that Australian organisations have become considerably greener in their usage of IT in the last 12 months, but that the rate of improvement varies considerably in different areas of Green IT.

The biggest areas of improvement are in enterprise IT, especially in the data centre, but Green IT practices in procurement and disposal have not improved at all, and even declined in many cases.

The level of maturity in different areas of Green IT is measured by Connection Research’s Green IT Readiness Index, which quantifies five different areas of Green IT: Lifecycle, End User, Enterprise, Enablement and Metrics. The Index is based on the Connection Research-RMIT Green IT Framework, which classifies the various components of Green IT.

The overall Green IT Readiness Index for Australian organisations has improved from 36.5 (a raying out of 100) in 2009 to 49.2 in 2010. “This indicates substantial improvement over the last year,” says Graeme Philipson, Connection Research’s research director. “But there is a long way to go. Most IT departments still don’t even know what their electricity consumption is.”

Details of individual Index components and their comparison with last year.

Lifecycle – has declined from 2009 to 2010 (52.5 to 51.6), the only index component to do so. In 2009 it was the highest rated component of the index, now it rates third after End User and Enterprise (the big improvers). This indicates a general lack of further interest in introducing green procurement practices and in improving green disposal practices.

End User – has improved considerably, from 43.2 in 2009 to 55.3 in 2010. This indicates a much stronger awareness and implementation over the last year of end user Green IT practices such as improved PC power management.

Enterprise – the biggest improvement of any index component, from 30.5 (the second lowest) in 2009 to 54.8 (the second highest) in 2010. This reflects the much higher profile of enterprise energy efficiency issues, particularly in the data centre, over the past 12-18 months.

Enablement – shows a reasonable improvement, from39.4 in 2009 to 47.3 in 2010. This indicates that organisations are becoming increasingly aware of the role IT can play in reducing the whole organisation’s carbon footprint.

Metrics – shows a small improvement, from 31.6 in 2009 to 37.0 in 2010. This shows the relative immaturity, despite improvements in other areas, of most organisations’ Green IT strategy. Most IT departments still do not measure the energy consumption of the IT process.

The Connection Research Green IT Readiness Index is based on a survey of over 200 IT-using organisations across Australia. It forms the basis of Connection Research’s Green IT benchmarking program and Green IT training.

Other findings of this year’s survey include:

The biggest Green IT concern is the environmental impact of discarded equipment (though it is not matched by action).

Less than 5% of organisations have a separate budget for Green IT, and only one third have appointed someone responsible for Green IT.

Only one in 20 CIOs denies the realities of climate change.

Only 10% of surveyed organisations are using any sort of carbon emissions management software product.

Only one in five desktop PC in the corporate world still has a CRT monitor.

Most organisations will pay up to 5% more to purchase green IT products.

The biggest inhibitor to the introduction of Green IT is the cost of the appropriate products and services.

Computer vendors are the most popular source of information about Green IT.

For more information contact Graeme Philipson at Connection Research

Phone +61 2 9467 9811
Email
graemep@connectionresearch.com.au


About Connection Research


Level 1, 21 Chandos St
St Leonards
NSW 2065
Australia
Phone: +61 2 9467 9800

Connection Research is an Australian market research and analysis company with a focus on corporate and consumer usage of sustainable and digital technologies. Its primary methodology is demand-side research, surveying consumers of technology about usage patterns, attitudes and plans. It operates across four practice areas: Green IT, Carbon and Compliance, Building Industry and Trades, and Community Sustainability.