3 types of apps play a role in 'greening' data centers

Applications that can help to better manage power and cooling and improve management, automation, load and capacity administration of these servers, will be in demand across the Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) region.

Data-center power glossary

This is according to IDC's latest research, 'Green IT Software -- Nutritious Supplements for Your Datacenter'. This finding obtains special significance as rising power costs in data center operations is a top concern of IT decision-makers.

"As businesses in APEJ continue to grow, power consumption in energy hungry data centers also increases," said Adren Lim, market analyst of IDC's Asia Pacific software research. "Green IT has become even more appealing as businesses look towards energy-efficient solutions to reduce power consumption and to alleviate the costs."

The research company has classified these applications into three main categories:
1. Power monitoring and management tools
2. Asset management and automation tools
3. Server virtualization software.

Green IT technology gaining momentum

The survey indicates Green IT technology gaining strong momentum and mindshare across the region, said IDC. This is largely driven by benefits from cost savings, followed by corporate social responsibility (CSR) and compliance, it added.

This result was based on the strong response of more than 75 per cent of the surveyed population agreeing that cost savings was the main reason for them to invest in green IT.

According to IDC, the survey also revealed the level of "greenness" portrayed by the IT suppliers had become increasingly important when they made buying decisions on IT-related materials.

"A large portion of green IT practices and supporting software revolve around virtualisation products, but equally important, is the management of these consolidated virtual and physical assets that will bring value through lower power, hardware, and manpower costs," Adren added.

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