Green IT: It's about money, not just the environment

IT vendors, particularly hardware vendors, have been vociferous in their promotion of ‘green IT' . Dell, Fujitsu, HP, IBM and Sun, to name just a few, have added “green” to their marketing vocabulary. IT services vendors also slip the term into conversation when talking about their operations and their ability to provide environmentally responsible services. But how is the audience responding? Talk to CIOs and IT directors at many mid-tier or even large UK businesses, for example, and considerations of green IT don' t figure highly in their dealings with IT vendors and services providers. There are pockets of enlightenment among some of the largest enterprises, in certain industry sectors and within parts of the public sector. But even among the enlightened, the main motivation is often economic, not green.