Report: Recession Won't Slow Green IT Initiatives

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The deepening recession won't slow the pace of Green IT initiatives, and may in fact increase their pace. So says a just-released report from Forrester, which finds that Green IT has begun to take a central place in mainstream IT practices.

The report, Market Overview: A Slowing Economy Won't Slow Down Corporate Green IT Initiatives, concludes:

the slowing economy will not derail efforts to make IT operations more efficient and less environmentally harmful. In fact, of responding companies that are changing the pace of their green IT activities in response to the economic outlook, those going faster outnumber those slowing down by two to one.

Just as important, the report finds that Green IT practices have taken hold among IT departments, so that they are now seen not as exotic or outside the norm, but instead directly in the mainstream. It found, for example, that 52% of respondents say they are creating or implementing a Green IT action plan, up from 45% of companies in Forrester's survey six months ago.

Why isn't the recession slowing Green IT initiatives? In a word, money. The report says that "Cost savings remains the No. 1 motivator for green IT initiatives." The most-cited motivation for greening IT, the report found, is to reduce energy-related operating expensives, with 67% of respondents saying that was a primary motivation. Only 42% cited "doing the right thing for the environment." Interestingly, last year, 50% of respondents said doing the right thing for the environment was a motivating factor. So it's clear that when it comes to Green IT, money talks.

But Green IT has taken hold well beyond cost-savings, the report finds. Nearly 60% of responding companies now use Green IT criteria in their procurement process. And of companies that use these criteria, nearly one-third say the green criteria are "very important" in helping choose suppliers.

For the report's executive summary, or to order a copy, click here.