CDW’s 2009 Energy Efficient IT Report

This survey of IT professionals finds that companies could save millions every year by implementing energy efficient procurement policies, power management solutions and virtualization technologies.

CDW initiated this annual survey in 2008 to study IT marketplace attitudes toward energy efficient IT, barriers to its adoption and what differentiates successful implementations. The environment has changed significantly since a year ago. IT budgets are under pressure in the recessionary economy, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued the first ENERGY STAR® standards for servers.

Among the most common green IT practices, according to survey respondents:

• Buying equipment with low-power/low-wattage processors;
• Using network-based power management tools;
• Using software tools within uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) to monitor power demand and energy use;
• Monitoring data centers remotely to keep lights off when employees are not on site;
• Managing cable placement to reduce demand on cooling systems;
• Implementing server and storage virtualization to reduce the number of servers and storage devices drawing power

Companies that put all three of the most common solutions to work in their IT deparments — energy efficient procurement, PC power management and virtualization — can see savings of 17 percent, the survey found. Based on survey responses, a company with an IT budget of about $75 million per year and a $9 million electric bill can save $1.5 million a year in energy costs.

To download the report, visit http://www.cdw.com/energyefficientIT.