Energy Concerns Lead the Way Toward Green IT Adoption

Despite some regional differences in priorities and motivators, senior business executives and ICT decision-makers around the world agree that Green IT initiatives are at the top of their agenda. According to IDC's latest global Green IT survey, these executives are becoming more deeply involved in their companies' green-based initiatives as pressures mount to cut costs and as government mandates begin targeting carbon emissions and the disposal of all IT equipment.

IDC polled more than 1,500 C-level business and technology executives across 10 industrial countries to understand what Green IT activities were important to them and why. Energy costs continue to be the most pressing factor driving Green IT adoption, even as oil prices drop. Globally, 71% of the respondents identified this as their highest priority. Among U.S. respondents, 77% identified energy as the most important factor behind green adoption in their companies, while 74% of European respondents saw energy concerns as the number 1 driver of green initiatives.

Additionally, hardcopy output and printing is becoming a key green initiative among organizations expanding their green horizons. Nearly two thirds of the companies surveyed indicated that a shift from print to online is underway at their companies (either currently implemented, in pilot, or in proof of concept). In Asia/Pacific, 69% of the respondents identified these changes in company behavior.

Other key findings from IDC's Green IT survey include:

--Green IT initiatives in the U.S. will continue to focus on lowering energy costs, but pending asset management regulations will introduce a new set of issues.

--Europe is lagging other regions in senior management interest in and customer pressure to show sustainability, but regulatory pressures are likely to drive change in this area.

--In many ways, Japan is a leader in Green IT, having adopted many environmentally friendly policies years earlier. Yet investment in green IT is lower in Japan than in other regions.

--Being green has become increasingly important in Latin American where Mexico's government is actively promoting Green IT initiatives and regulations. But overall, Green IT initiatives in the region are still at an early stage of development.

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