Editorial

 Time to Go Green

 By Sudhir Narasimhan

 The concept of green computing by itself is nothing new.  Way back in the early nineties I remember the Energy Star compliance logo that used to show up on my monitor. Since then, from time to time, government agencies in the developed world have passed regulations to limit the hazardous substances released by IT equipment.
But it is only in the last few years that we have seen vendors coming out with their own green computing initiatives and energy efficient technologies. It is only recently that we have seen enterprises opting for measures like consolidation and virtualization to achieve optimal utilization of their IT infrastructure. And there is a reason to it.
Data centers have evolved over the years to become monstrous power guzzlers. According to certain estimates, power bills on an average account for almost half of the recurring expenses on data centers. 
Concerns such as these which add significantly to the operating expenses of companies are making them pursue `green’ strategies in the United States and elsewhere in the developed world.  Companies are not merely redesigning their data centers, but are also utilizing technology to go green. Cisco
apparently deployed IP and video conferencing technologies to cut company travel by 20 per cent or 2 million miles a year. Many companies have embraced telecommuting in a major way to cut costs and indirectly contribute to reducing emissions that contribute to global warming.
As in many cases, India Inc. is yet to wake up to the benefits of going green. This is so despite the scarcity of resources like power and petroleum that the country faces. 
While researching for this issue’s cover story our editorial team discovered that while many CIOs have started evaluating ways and means to cut energy costs, few companies have a detailed strategy or program to promote energy saving and eco-friendly practices in their organizations. It is time Indian companies started adopting `green’ practices. IT heads can play a role here by `greening’ their data centers.