Low hanging fruit in green IT

Incorporating eco-friendly IT solutions is no longer a mere choice but a necessity. Anticipated legislation within the European Union (EU), such as the prospective inclusion of the EU Energy Directive, will mandate data center and cloud service owners to include and report energy-efficient practices. It's conceivable that corresponding regulations might not be distant in the American context either. Moreover, shareholders are increasingly demanding sustainability. Although data centers and cloud service providers are showcasing their energy efficiency, this may soon fall short.

Did you know that most server farms use an excessive amount of energy? Companies can potentially reduce more than half of their energy expenses related to IT infrastructure. Which, considering the escalating energy costs, is a shame they haven’t taken advantage of this yet. Besides, this energy conservation initiative contributes positively to a company's green image. For those who have already migrated to the cloud, relinquishing a surplus of cloud resources can save more than just energy consumption.

Applications as Largest Energy Consumers

Unquestionably, applications are responsible for most energy consumption. Why? Historically application efficiency has been neglected. Since the 1990s, the affordability of acquiring additional capacity took precedence over the economical utilization of capacity due to the rapid pace of technological advancements and market penetration.

During that era, energy costs were low; however, times have changed. Data centers have long been synonymous with high energy consumption. The need for new data centers now encounters growing resistance, partly attributed to the strain placed on the electricity grid by the surge in connections. Although hardware efficiency has improved on a "per click" basis, our consumption has outpaced these advancements. It is apparent that there is a dissonance between the IT sector and sustainable aspirations.

Harvesting the Low-Hanging Fruit

The good news is that there are many opportunities to sustainably enhance the energy efficiency of your applications without exorbitant expenses. There are many inefficiencies in software that are ripe for rectification. However, if you want to capitalize on this you need to have the correct power settings.

A common misconception is that 'High Performance' power settings result in increased application performance. However, this notion is outdated. Modern hardware swiftly regains maximum capacity, rendering the performance disparity not noticeable to users. However, your energy consumption and your wallet do notice. A significant proportion of applications have the potential to operate in a low-energy state for at least 75% of their runtime, that is easily earned.

Empowering a Greener IT Landscape

Your IT can become much more sustainable too. Collectively we can contribute to the energy transition and advocate for a healthier climate. Whilst achieving cost-saving benefits, fostering a win-win scenario. Contact us today to start making your IT more sustainable.