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Data Center Management

Data Center Management Feature

October 18, 2010

Data Center Management's Role in Corporate Sustainability

By Erin Monda, TMCnet Contributor

What is the data center’s role in corporate sustainability?

Michael Rowan, chief technology officer and founder of Viridity and Bernie Siryk, vice president of professional services at Global Green Consulting Group, shed some light this subject.

The Global Green Consulting Group (GGCS) believes in sustainability program development. It provides the resources and expertise companies require in order to implement successful programs at the highest strategic levels.

At the data center optimization level, it is important to understand data center consumption, utilization, and other IT operating costs can contribute to a heavy bottom line. When these costs can be lowered –IT departments can have a positive influence on corporate sustainability efforts.

There are many opportunities for data center management changes to positively impact business objectives.

Data Centers have multiple opportunities for power optimization. Data center power consumption is a lot weightier than one might expect. Estimates show that data centers account for two percent of all electricity use – which is an environmental impact on par with the airline industry. This represents a cost of eight to ten billion dollars annually.

In some sectors, electricity consumption can make up to 40 percent of a firm’s carbon footprint, with IT assets to blame for a vast majority of this statistic. Electricity consumption needs to be understood to make improvements.

Another area where IT can make an impact is in the retirement of IT assets. Specifically, IT equipment maps into power and it is important to understand how individual pieces of equipment are consuming power and connecting the utilization of that equipment to power. Old equipment can create severe environmental issues

Companies which pursue initiatives to make their data centers more efficient help their own data performance. And as a bonus, what’s good for the IT department is good for the business and the environment.


Erin Monda recently graduated from W.C.S.U. with a degree in professional writing. She primarily writes about network technologies, including cloud computing, virtualization and network optimization, however she also has a focus on E911 technologies and legislation.