5 Steps to a Successful Green Computing Solution

White Paper:
5 Steps to a Successful
Green Computing Solution 5 Steps to a Successful Green Computing Solution Green Computing enables companies to meet business demands for cost-effective, energy-efficient, flexible, secure & stable solutions while being environmentally responsible. This whitepaper will provide you with the crucial information you need to implement your Green Computing plan. Go Green: A Better Environment Within and Beyond the Data Center There is no denying it: the cost of energy is out of control and it affects every industry in the world, including information technology. As the old adage goes, "out-of-sight, out-of-mind." With neither drainage pipes nor chimneys, it's easy to forget that our clean, cool data centers can have significant impact on both the corporate budget and the environment. Every data center transaction requires power. Every IT asset purchased must eventually be disposed of, one way or another. Efficiency, equipment disposal and recycling, and energy consumption, including power and cooling costs, have become priority for those who manage the data centers that make businesses run. "Green Computing" is defined as the study and practice of using computing resources efficiently through a methodology that combines reducing hazardous materials, maximizing energy efficiency during the product's lifetime, and recycling older technologies and defunct products. The term had its origins in Energy Star, a 1992 voluntary labeling program recognizing energy efficiency in monitors, climate control equipment and other technologies. Energy Star resulted in widespread adoption of the so-called "sleep mode" among consumer electronics. The "Green Computing" term was likely coined shortly after the Energy Star program began. Today, government agencies continue to implement standards and regulations that encourage Green Computing. The Energy Star program was revised in October 2006 to include stricter efficiency requirements for computer equipment, and 26 states have established recycling programs for obsolete computers and consumer electronics. The Real IT Energy Issues: What Research Shows Most data centers built before 2001 were designed according to traditional capacity models and technology limitations, which forced system architects to expand capacity by attaching new assets. In essence, one server per workload, with every asset requiring dedicated floor space, management, power and cooling. These silo infrastructures are inherently inefficient, leading to asset underutilization, greater hardware expenditure and higher total energy consumption. In a 2006 study, the respected research firm IDC found that the expense to power and cool a company's existing install-base of servers equated to 45.8% of new IT spending. The analyst group forecasted that server power and cooling expense could amount to 65.8% of new server spending by 2011. Also according to the IDC: ƒ Right now, 50 cents of every dollar spent on IT equipment is devoted to powering and cooling; by 2011 that per unit cost might well approach 70 cents of every dollar. ƒ Experience has shown that growing companies typically add more servers, rather than implementing a consolidation or virtualization solution. More servers mean larger utility bills and potentially greater environmental issues.
2ƒ Between 2000 and 2010 sever installations will grow by 6 times and storage by 69 times. (IBM/Consultant Studies) ƒ U.S. energy consumption by data centers is expected to almost double in the next five years (U.S. EPA, August 2007) ƒ U.S. commercial electrical costs increased by 10% from 2005 to 2006 (EPA Monthly Forecast, 2007) ƒ Data center power and cooling costs have increased 800% since 1996. (IBM/Consultant Studies) ƒ Over the next five years, it is expected that most U.S. data centers will spend as much on energy costs as on hardware, and twice as much as they currently do on server management and administration costs. (IBM/Consultant Studies) CIOs, CEOs and CFOs are reassessing data center strategies to determine if energy efficiency should be added to the list of critical operating parameters. Issues of concern include: ƒ Reducing data center energy consumption, as well as power and cooling costs ƒ Security and data access are critical and must be more easily and efficiently managed ƒ Critical business processes must remain up and running in a time of power drain or surge ... [download for more]