The business case for green storage (environmental factors in data storage)

Citation

Adshead, A. (2008), "The business case for green storage (environmental factors in data storage)", Strategic Direction, Vol. 24 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/sd.2008.05624fad.009

The business case for green storage (environmental factors in data storage)

Article Type: Abstracts From: Strategic Direction, Volume 24, Issue 6.

Adshead A. Computer Weekly, 23 October 2007, Start page: 36, No. of pages: 2

Purpose to determine whether the “green” messages that the IT sector is promoting to its potential customers constitute good sense of “hype”. Design/methodology/approach users of IT systems and hardware are being constantly bombarded by the “green message”, to draw attention to the energy efficiency of their products and the reduction in waste that such products can achieve. Discusses the extent to which this green offensive has been aimed at the data storage systems requirements of data centres and attempts to separate the rational aspects of the issue from the hype. Findings the results of a study by Gartner predicts that, by the end of 2008, approximately 50 per cent of data centres worldwide will experience considerable difficulty in getting sufficient power and cooling to support high-density equipment, while large corporations currently spend 4-8 per cent of their IT budget on energy, with this being likely to increase by up to four times during the next five years, leading to energy costs comprising 32 per cent of IT budgets by 2011. Concludes that data storage systems are prime candidates for energy and space savings, while a green strategy needs to be supported by consolidation and rationalization. Illustrates the points made in the article with particular reference to a brief case study involving University College Falmouth, UK. Originality/value cuts through some of the hype associated with green digital storage requirements and pinpoints the strengths of the green argument.ISSN: 0010-4787Reference: 36BC165

Keywords: Communications technology, Computer hardware, Digital storage, Energy conservation, Energy management, United Kingdom