April 23, 2008—A new Gartner report encourages organizations that are tempted to cut back on green PC initiatives in light of a slowing economy to instead move forward with the initiatives and to accelerate certain programs, particularly those that deliver power savings, so that organizational efficiencies can have an impact on the budget as soon as possible.
“Green PC initiatives typically do not add significantly to ongoing operational costs, and the small upfront costs associated with them are usually easily recovered 12 to 18 months after the program begins,” said Steve Kleynhans, research vice-president at Gartner.
Gartner has identified four key areas where green PC initiatives can lead to cost savings:
- Switching to a more eco-friendly PC model can reduce power consumption by 20 percent or more and usually carries only a very small premium.
- Putting machines into a low power state when not in use is a low risk but highly effective change because it reportedly costs little or nothing to implement and reduces energy costs from more than $75 a year to approximately $18 a year.
- Proper disposal of older PC equipment can help pay for newer, more-efficient system.
- The most-efficient way of fulfilling a business process can often be the “greenest.”
Programs that encourage the reduction of travel and commuting may require a minor uplift in technology spending, but are also likely to improve workers’ productivity and attitudes. Reducing the printing and distribution of paper will not only reduce environmental waste but typically will speed up business processes.
Additional information can be found in the Gartner report “Cutting Back on Green PC Initiatives Leads to False Economies,” available for purchase on Gartner’s Web site.
