Eco-friendly computing is picking up as a definite trend in the technology sector. In a recent report, 2008 Trends to Watch: Green IT, Datamonitor (a market analyst firm) reported on how “green technology” is changing the technology industry.

 

Datamonitor reported an increase in CIO interest and vendor initiatives related to green technology. With the presence of advanced technologies and tighter regulatory measures , business interest in green technology is growing. Seventy-five percent of respondent firms considered eco (News - Alert)-friendly computing an important part of their IT strategies. For 15 percent of respondents, green technology remained a top priority, and 20 percent have already incorporated green tech solutions as part of their business strategies.

 

“Green IT is now being driven as much by an element of business strategy as by a sense of corporate social responsibility,” said Datamonitor analyst Vamshi Mokshagundam. “Whilst Green IT practices such as energy-efficient hardware, hosted infrastructure, and data centre virtualization have all been around for a while now, it is only recently that companies have begun incorporating Green IT in their core business strategy.”

 

Datamonitor’s survey showed that one in five firms have incorporated a green technology  agenda as part of an overall business strategy, while a further third are set to move ahead with a similar strategy during the next two years.

 

Information technology companies face the challenge of expanding infrastructures and at the same time lowering budgets along with increasing stringent regulations of data privacy and electronic waste disposal. Most of the companies are working toward adopting eco-friendly computing practices like cost savings and flexibility in managing IT resources and also environmental regulations practices.

 

Virtualization technologies help companies “go green” by providing reductions in enterprise carbon footprints. Companies are also adopting a “lifecycle” approach to disposal of computer hardware.

 

Vendors are taking note and implementing new techniques for design, manufacturing and service. Light Emitting Diode (LED) and Solid State Disk (SSD) technologies are becoming part of the mainstream as is the case with software –as-a-service application a delivery platform that makes use of shared services.