So You Want To Go Green? – Monitoring & Recycling
If you’ve been following my Blog on building a Green IT Business Plan, then you know we’re at the last two steps in the process. Up until now, we’ve discussed the considerations when conducting various elements of assessment and needs analysis. After that, we got into the actual elements of integration including Consolidation, Virtualization, Equipment Replacement and Upgrades. The last step we covered reviewed the areas where adjustments to your Operational Practices will yield net benefits.
The last two steps deal with how you’ll run your Greener IT datacenter. Now that you’ve made all of these great changes, you need to keep an eye on how it’s running. We do this through proactive monitoring. There are a number of excellent tools that can simplify this area, or you can engage an organization like PEI to do it for you. The benefits greatly outweigh the costs. With that, Step 9 is:
9. Monitoring
Now that you’ve optimized your data center and communications, it is absolutely essential that the architecture be monitored. A correctly implemented monitoring solution affords managers and administrators the ability to measure infrastructure and the effectiveness of the Greener IT plan.
The final step is:
10. Recycling
The last step is to correctly dispose of your obsolete, decommissioned equipment. A trip to the dumpster will not ensure that the equipment is properly handed. Routine trash services will not recycle components. Many communities have organizations that provide specialized services for recycling electronics. There may be some small fees involved, but it essential if you want things handled correctly. Another option is to consider a charitable donation. This extends the useful life of the equipment, keeps it out of a landfill, and can potentially allow for a tax write-off.
Final Thoughts
A Greener IT business plan isn’t difficult and will generally yield a Return on Investment that makes the effort worthwhile. Many organizations are looking to adopt a Sustainability model and Green IT is a great place to start. Because many of the technologies used are newer and less familiar to most IT staff members, it’s strongly recommended to retain the services of a competent Information Technology Reseller that has a demonstrated track record with green technologies. Not only can they assist with the design, architecture and deployment of an optimized solution, but they should also be able to assist with your Return on Investment model.
-Tim Krueger, PEI
