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284 Chapter 10 • Global, Ethics, and Security Management

GREEN COMPUTING
Green computing or green IT is extremely popular with organizations. With business always
growing and more and more cars and people on this planet, we are beginning to come to the
harsh realization that our natural resources are not infinite. Countries around the world are trying
to take the initiative and reduce the amount of wasted resources and pollution of our planet. This
is especially true for businesses that are faced with increasing energy costs and an expanding
need for power consumption. Governments and companies are working hard to portray them-
selves as being “green.”
Green is not only good for the environment but also for business. Today, a green company
is viewed as a responsible and caring company. Poland Spring, for example, has reduced the
amount of plastic it uses in its water bottles. Automakers are making their vehicles much more
fuel efficient. People, especially in America, are seeing how their waste and overuse of utilities
like electricity or using plastic bags every time they go grocery shopping is affecting our environ-
ment. A company going green can also cut costs by eliminating waste and being more efficient.
Anheuser-Busch has saved lots of money by trimming an eighth of an inch off of the diameter of
their beer cans and saving 21 million pounds of metal every year.
These are some common examples of companies being green. Companies can go green
simply by successfully implementing an enterprise resource program. ERPs are systems that
facilitate all of the real-time data flow inside of an organization and manage connections to outside
stakeholders. ERPs focus on efficiency within organizations to allow data to only be processed
once. They have eliminated much waste by incorporating best practices into their software.
Companies are able to have some tangible and intangible results in regard to the greenness
of their ERP. Primarily the tangible results are immediate and measurable. They can cut back on
resources like paper by being able to do much more reporting electronically without the need for
a hard copy on paper. Customers are also able to view order statuses and obtain much product
information online, eliminating the need for printed product catalogs or printed receipts. This
can save much on paper and ink costs.
Computer hardware has also come a long way toward being more energy efficient in
today’s business world. The Energy Star Program created in 1992 by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency has helped to ensure the energy efficiency of the hardware components that
go into an ERP. These include, but are not limited to, the desktop computers, laptops, and servers
with one to four processor sockets. Computers marked with the Energy Star logo may only
consume 15 percent of their maximum power use while inactive. This has set a benchmark for
hardware manufacturers to strive for and continually improve. Consumers are also aware of this
rating, allowing them to make a smarter decision in purchasing a machine that will reduce
electricity costs for the home or business.
The NetApp’s data center at Research Triangle Park in North Carolina was the first data
center ever to receive an Energy Star for superior energy efficiency. NetApp scored 99 out of 100
and has reduced CO emissions by 95,000 tons annually. This is a big step in maximizing the
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efficiency of a data center. By using overhead air distribution and a pressure-controlled room,
NetApp’s data center has really set a precedent for the industry that will become a model for data
storage in the future. ERP relies on data storage 24/7. This requires running servers at all hours
of the day that use up electricity. Data can be efficiently stored on servers in a room like
NetApp’s data center and be more effective in reducing a company’s carbon footprint.
Another important hardware development has been made by General Dynamics Itronix in
Cupertino, California. They have developed the Tadpole ultra thin client, which replaces and