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The Basics of Green IT

“Success depends upon previous preparation, and
without such preparation there is sure to be failure.”

—Confucius

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There are many benefits but also many challenges in moving to green
IT, including organizational issues (for example, the CIO doesn’t pay the
electricity bill), government regulations and incentives, and effective
solutions to avoid climate impact, such as product end of life and asset
disposal. This chapter gives an overview of the different ways companies
are moving to green IT. Included in the overview are proven best prac-
tices for green IT, such as data center consolidation, server consolidation,
virtual servers, virtual storage, flexible test systems using virtual
resources, and so on. As with any IT project, planning for green IT, both
for the near term and for the long term, is essential for success.
Environmental and energy-conservation issues have taken center stage
in the global business arena in recent years. The reality of rising energy
costs and their impact on international affairs—coupled with the
increased concern over the global warming climate crisis and other envi-
ronmental issues—have shifted the social and economic consciousness of
the business community. Fortunately, green computing solutions exist
today that address many of these concerns while providing the good

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