Green IT: Links to what the big players are doing

I wrote this piece in late July 2009. It's appearing now as a reference for people who attend Celebrate Green IT! in Philadelphia on October 20. Thanks to http://www.thegreenitreview.com for a list that inspired this collection.

But those who didn't attend are welcome to use it, too.

What are the big players doing, and how can the not-so-big do it too?

The "low-hanging fruit" of Green IT savings are coming mainly from gains in energy efficiency. Much of this fruit hangs so low it's a hazard to foot traffic, so the assessments that identify it are mostly performed free of charge. The consultant who has the patience, and the pockets, to help one's clients pluck this low-hanging fruit will qualify to pursue the grand prize: a long-term contract to make the business itself operate more efficiently. So says Forrester research in a recent study about what IBM, HP, Accenture, and other big players are moving toward. I've gathered links to several major firms' Green IT and Green Enterprise web sites and white papers here.

See if you can learn their game.

IBM's Green IT portal: http://www.ibm.com/ibm/green/index1.shtml
A review of IBM's Smarter Planet and Green Sigma Coalition: http://www.thegreenitreview.com/2009/06/ibms-new-green-alliance.html

HP / Hewlett Packard: http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/feature_stories/2007/07-360_greenup.html
HP also offers a free copy of Green IT for Dummies! It was written for the UK, but you'll get the idea. It's at http://www.hp.com/go/greenit4dummies.

Accenture: Shaping the Green Agenda, http://www.accenture.com/Global/Technology/Technology_Consulting/ShapingtheGreenAgenda.htm.
Accenture's Data Center Estimator white paper is at http://www.accenture.com/NR/rdonlyres/AF3D40D8-3786-4984-A18C-A1639678A1FC/0/AccGreenTechSuiteDataCenterEstimator.pdf.

SAP: http://www.sap.com/solutions/sustainability/index.epx.
And, SAP is kind enough to share their Business Case for Sustainability, at http://www.sap.com/solutions/sustainability/business-process/index.epx.

Microsoft: http://www.microsoft.com/environment/

CSC: http://www.csc.com/greenway

Dow Jones has a Sustainability Index at http://www.sustainability-indexes.com/. SAP reports it has topped this list for 3 years running.

A firm called Glasshouse has what they call an Energy Proficiency Impact Analysis: http://www.glasshouse.com/UserFiles/File/090602_epia.pdf. It's more general, and includes

Energy savings for smaller commercial buildings-
http://www.automatedbuildings.com/news/jun08/articles/spinwave/080526024707spinwave.htm