How Green Is Your IT Valley?

Environmental reasons were not of overriding importance in server consolidation—35 percent of respondents said environmental concerns were somewhat or very important in driving the decision, while 35 percent said those concerns were unimportant or relatively unimportant. Thirty percent were neutral on the question.

The numbers were very similar for server virtualization, with 36 percent of respondents saying environmental issues tended to be a driver, 36 percent saying they tended not to be a driver and 28 percent offering a neutral response.

A case in point is FN Manufacturing, of Columbia, S.C. “We don’t have a formal program, but by virtue of some of the technology we’re implementing, it will get us there over time,” said Ed Benincasa, vice president of MIS and an eWEEK Corporate Partner.

Looking for the economic green in green computing? Read more here. 

Many other businesses share one of Benincasa’s most critical IT issues: combating data center sprawl, thereby conserving space and creating the opportunity to add servers without adding real estate.

FN Manufacturing is implementing virtualization technology through software from EMC subsidiary VMware. Benincasa’s goal is to shrink his server population from approximately 40 to perhaps a dozen. The main business benefit of concentrating servers, Benincasa said, is scalability; green IT is a byproduct.

“I care about the green issues because you consume a lot of power, so there is a cost,” he said. “The goal is to be more efficient and able to grow without using more physical space. That lets you be more responsive. You can just add a new server if you need it.”

In another economic move with green overtones, FN Manufacturing recently retrofitted its offices with motion sensors. If there is no motion—indicating no human presence—the lights will shut off automatically.