The phrase “going green” is used a lot in today’s world as we become more conscious of the environment and our impact on it. Part of going green involves adopting green technology—technology intended to mitigate or reverse the effects of human activity on the environment. Green information technology is what you get when you apply that same filter of environmental-consciousness to the way we share and secure our data, which can be cost-saving as well as energy-reducing.
How can I get started?
To change, you must first understand. With this in mind, start by analyzing your environment. Reducing paper usage in the office can result in increased productivity, quicker data-sharing and decreased waste—not to mention the savings. Did you know that the average office worker uses around 10,000 sheets of paper each year, which is about what one tree can produce?
Next, consider how your documents and data are stored. While paper-based processes are expensive and cumbersome, electronic forms can save you time and paper as well as cutting shipping and storage costs. Going electronic can also reduce the amount of office equipment that you need to make space for, as well as the budget to maintain this equipment.
What’s the easiest way to go paperless? Scan, scan, scan. Scanning reduces the need to archive old documents, thereby reducing your paper form storage footprint. Digital media is also easier to share and access.
Going green beyond paper
Of course, you aren’t limited to simply going paperless. You can also consider your hardware purchases, with a mind toward purchasing energy-efficient hardware.
When it comes to going green, few things are safe from consolidation to save space and energy, and your servers are no different. Virtualization refers to the act of creating a framework that divides a single, physical resource—such as a server—into one or more virtual resources. Several virtual servers can run on a single physical server at a fraction of what it would cost to purchase and maintain the same number of physical machines.
And why not take your energy-focused virtualization and consolidation efforts a step further by using a terminal server and thin clients? The former is a network device that enables the establishment of multiple connections to client systems, and the latter are lightweight computers purpose-built for accessing a terminal server upon which they rely almost exclusively for their computational power. Thin clients require a little more power than a monitor to be fully functional, while the terminal server does all the “thinking,” making this model one of the most energy-conscious choices out there.
One final note: As you upgrade to green IT, be sure to recycle old equipment, thereby minimizing the amount that ends up in landfills.
MyITpros is committed to giving back to the environment, from e-recycling to virtualization. Contact us for more information around our services and how we can help turn you green!
