Green IT

Green IT is the practice of reducing the environmental footprint of the information system itself: equipment, data centres, networks and software.

It is the oldest identified strand of sustainable IT, and the one organisations usually start with.

Scope

• Equipment: purchasing policy, useful life, repair, end of life ;
• Data centres: energy efficiency, cooling, heat recovery, actual server utilisation ;
• Networks: sizing and equipment lifespan ;
• Software: ecodesign, decommissioning unused applications ;
• Data: retention policy, deduplication, deletion.

Where the effort pays

Organisations commonly begin with data centre efficiency, because it is measurable and under their control. The larger gains usually sit elsewhere.

Extending the useful life of the device fleet by one or two years typically outweighs any realistic improvement in PUE, because it acts on manufacturing, which dominates the life cycle.

Decommissioning unused applications is the second underrated lever: it removes servers, storage, backups, licences and maintenance at once.

What it does not cover

Green IT addresses the impact of digital technology. It says nothing about using digital technology for environmental ends (IT for Green), nor about accessibility, inclusion and working conditions, which fall under Human for IT and IT for Human.

See also

• Sustainable IT · IT for Green · Ecodesign · Digital sobriety · Carbon footprint · Data centre · End of life