Recession dampens green IT initiatives

Enterprise uptake of green IT products has slowed for the first time since 2007

The economic crisis has slowed the uptake of green IT products, according to analysts.

A recent report from Forrester Research found that enterprise uptake of environmentally friendly IT products had slowed down for the first time since 2007.

Some 11 per cent of the companies surveyed planned to slow down implementation of green IT initiatives due to the recession, and 38 per cent planned to maintain their pace. This compares to an October 2008 survey that found that just five per cent were slowing green initiatives and 39 per cent were maintaining pace.

"Sustainability and energy-efficient practices are becoming well entrenched in IT organisations worldwide," wrote Forrester analyst Christopher Mines.

"But the pace of green IT implementation is slowing in some companies; its priority is dropping in the face of slackening overall demand and tighter availability of investment capital."

There was some good news, however, as 12 per cent of firms plan to accelerate green IT initiatives, up from 10 per cent last October.

The study found that cost-cutting is the principal factor for companies adopting green IT programmes, followed by the need to conserve space and avoid building new datacentres.

Ultimately, however, Mines sees little harm to the green IT movement from the recession.

The analyst noted that sustainability programmes are well established in many major companies, and smaller firms will increasingly look to more efficient platforms as business recovers and growth resumes.