We've all gone green: Symantec

100 per cent of Canadian enterprises surveyed are planning green initiatives, according to Symantec's annual Green IT report. But some analyst argue it's more about another kind of green.

Green IT initiatives have reached critical mass in the enterprise, according to Symantec Corp.'s annual green IT survey on worldwide perceptions and practices.

According to the 2009 Worldwide Green IT Report, 100 per cent of Canadian enterprises and 97 per cent of enterprises worldwide are discussing green IT strategies. Fifty-nine percent in Canada and 45 per cent worldwide have implemented them.

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100 per cent of Canadian enterprises surveyed are planning green initiatives, according to Symantec's annual Green IT report. But some analyst argue it's more about another kind of green.

Green IT initiatives have reached critical mass in the enterprise, according to Symantec Corp.'s annual green IT survey on worldwide perceptions and practices.

According to the 2009 Worldwide Green IT Report, 100 per cent of Canadian enterprises and 97 per cent of enterprises worldwide are discussing green IT strategies. Fifty-nine percent in Canada and 45 per cent worldwide have implemented them.

Reducing electricity consumption is a driver for 90 per cent of green efforts worldwide and 94 per cent in Canada, while reducing cooling costs is driver at 87 per cent of enterprises surveyed and 97 per cent in Canada.

The whole agenda of doing the right thing from an ecological point of view did not get lost in the shuffle, said Jose Iglesias, vice-president of global solutions for Symantec. "Ninety-two per cent of Canadian respondents said that corporate still wants them to be green ... despite the economic mess," he said.

Canada isn't exactly a leader in green IT, according to Jessica Vreeswijk, founder and director of Terrabtyes Consulting, a green IT consulting firm based in Victoria, BC. "I've seen more come out of San Francisco than I see or hear in Canada," she said.

But green IT means different things to different people, according to Iglesias. "We were very careful to define what we mean by green IT," he said. The three main drivers, according to the survey, are reducing electricity consumption, reducing cooling costs and corporate intention to be "green."

Eighty-nine per cent of Canadian IT departments are now responsible or cross-charged for electricity costs, which marks a major shift in budgeting practices. "When we talked to CIOs a couple years ago, this was not the case," said James Brehm, senior consultant and director of the information and communication technology practice at Frost & Sullivan Ltd.

"People started taking a look at what's the big power consumer and oftentimes, it's the things that IT is responsible for. The big power cost isn't the fluorescent light above me, it's the PC in front of me that's plugged in," he said.

The typical respondent in Symantec's survey spends C$21 million (US$19.3 million) to $27 million annually on data centre electricity, with Canadian business costs averaging $28 million each year. Realizing the significance of these costs and becoming responsible for them is likely one reason why IT is so focused on going green, according to Iglesias.

"All of a sudden, they've realized they have to pay for this electric bill, which many industry analysts say is the second largest operational expense for the IT budget, and they are having to look at ways of reducing charges," he said.

Green IT budgets are also on the rise, according to the survey, with 56 per cent of Canadian businesses and 73 per cent worldwide reporting an increase in green IT budgets over the next 12 months.