Playbook: Green IT

“Going green” has permeated our lives from hybrid cars to socially conscious coffee cups. But selling green IT products and services is more than just an environmentally friendly move – it can be particularly friendly to your profits.

The goal of green computing is to reduce the use of materials hazardous to the environment, optimize energy efficiency during a product’s lifetime, and promote the recyclability of old products and waste. In 1992, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency launched Energy Star, the voluntary labeling program that many will know from its use in everyday goods, such as refrigerators, dishwashers, laundry machines, etc. The program was revised in 2006 for computer equipment, as well as a tiered ranking system.

With SMBs, the options aren’t necessarily as expansive as for enterprises. Enterprises rely on large data centers, which generally have very high energy demands, and resource allocation and other technologies can lower costs for these kinds of customers. But there are still other green IT options for SMBs in the data center realm, such as virtualization and terminal servers, which decrease energy costs and consumption.

Green IT strategies for SMBs should also include power management, which ensures that hardware is automatically turned off or sent into hibernation after periods of inactivity.  Another opportunity for green IT power management is in data storage, as all data needs to be stored somewhere, securely and efficiently. But large traditional drives consume quite a bit of power. Solid-state disk has no moving parts, reducing power consumption for low capacity flash-based or DRAM-based drives. Data deduplication can also reduce the amount of data your customer may need, meaning less hardware and energy to run the hardware.

With such a rise in popularity in all aspects of our daily lives, your customers will be just as interested in staying green with their IT operations, especially when they realize how much money it could save them. It’s up to you to show them how a decent investment into green IT strategies now can mean a major return on investment with power savings.

Without ENERGY STAR and EPEAT certifications, and strategies for deploying compliant products and green IT practices, you limit your ability to compete. (April 28, 2011)

Green IT does more than help the environment. It saves resources and puts money on your bottom line. (May 27, 2009)

Improving environmental efficiency can be a great way to lower overhead and impress ecologically sensitive clients. A clearly defined strategy powers results and ROI. (May 25, 2012)

Although eco-friendly networking products are still seldom considered in purchasing decisions, organizations may change that practice when they learn the potential energy cost savings the technology offers. (August 26, 2010)

Helping clients go green reduces their carbon footprint and puts money on their bottom line. (June 10, 2010)

Buyers Laboratory recognizes the green properties of OKI’s new monochrome multifunction printers. (November 25, 2012)

The software-based security solution fulfills all regulatory requirements for third-party cloud security. (September 05, 2012)

Computer recycling, whether done in-house or offered as a service, enables builders to turn a profit and stay on the right side of the law. (May 25, 2012)

In honor of Earth Day, we've put together a list of green gadgets that can help you cut costs and protect the environment. (April 16, 2012)

This product launch showcases the variety of systems and serverboards Supermicro has deployed with Intel's newest 8 core, 16 thread processors. (March 06, 2012)

The CL3000N PS/2-USB LCD Console is equipped with a 10-inch power-saving LCD monitor and integrates a keyboard, video monitor, and touchpad all in one unit. (January 19, 2012)

Four new unmanaged Ethernet switches are available to channel pros and SMBs in five- and eight-port form factors for high-speed networking and intelligent data streaming. (November 30, 2011)

The application is part of the StruxureWare for Data Centers Suite of data center monitoring, automation, planning, and reporting software. (October 26, 2011)

NxTop 4 combines network-based storage with a stateless client-side hypervisor. (September 30, 2011)

Ingram Micro says it's "one of the only technology distributors to track and publicly report its sustainability commitment." (July 06, 2011)

Computer recycling, whether done in-house or offered as a service, enables builders to turn a profit and stay on the right side of the law. (May 25, 2012)

Prepare to meet the demand for EPEAT-compliant computing. NASBA and Intel have partnered to ease the compliance process for customized systems, but there is still a need for help from the vendor and reseller communities. (August 29, 2011)

The ViewSonic MultiClient will run on Windows MultiPoint Server 2011, and can run up to 10 full student stations from a single host PC, reducing power consumption and lowering hardware/software costs. (June 28, 2011)

Green IT services are in high-demand from customers who want to save the environment and save on energy costs. (May 11, 2011)

No matter what kind of IT service you may be providing, you should have some form of certification. But how many is too many, and what kinds should you have? Developing a certification strategy is important. (April 08, 2011)

Sales figures of pre-owned, used, refurbished, and new-surplus networking equipment are strong, according to research conducted by IDC. Santa Barbara, Calif.-based Network Hardware Resale says the data is indicative of a healthier-than-expected channel. (December 16, 2010)

IN-Win's Paul Parkinson shares his EPEAT insights. (October 05, 2009)

With president-elect Obama planning to pull together "a more energy-efficient economy," SMBs should look for green opportunities in the months ahead. (July 20, 2009)

In honor of Earth Day, we've put together a list of green gadgets that can help you cut costs and protect the environment. (April 16, 2012)

The latest software upgrade for the printer series includes Print Advisor, an on-screen feature that will prompt users with resource-saving tips. (July 06, 2010)

With president-elect Obama planning to pull together "a more energy-efficient economy," SMBs should look for green opportunities in the months ahead. (July 20, 2009)

D&H partners gain access to the benefits of Kaspersky's channel-focused Green Team partner program. (April 22, 2009)