Green IT strategy absent in 90% APAC businesses

New Delhi: A Springboard Research survey of 1,200 strategy leaders and decision-makers at enterprises across Asia-Pacific has found that less than 10 percent of enterprises have formally implemented a green IT strategy, despite widespread awareness of green IT's ability to cut carbon footprint and improve return on investment.

The survey's findings, reported in Springboard's latest study titled 'Is green IT Bigger than the Economic Crisis: Asia-Pacific green IT Market Survey' add that 60 percent of all firms without a green IT strategy in place plan to implement one in the next 24 months.

Springboard's study also revealed that the economic crisis will have a limited impact in delaying green IT initiatives, with nearly a third of APAC enterprises indicating their green IT plans will actually accelerate during the economic downturn. The survey was conducted in Greater China, India, Australia, Singapore and Malaysia.

“Green IT may not have yet reached the level of a strategic priority for Asian enterprises, but it is growing in importance and we see the trend shifting from a movement to a market in the next two-three years,” said Jonathan Silber, Research Manager, Springboard Research. “The good news is that both in spite of, and because of, the economic crisis, a considerable number of companies are recognizing the value and payback of green IT initiatives,” Silber added.

Discrete green IT initiatives abound

The survey revealed that a vast majority of enterprises are found to have implemented discrete green IT initiatives despite not having formal strategies in place. Further, although enterprises regard social responsibility and business advantages as prime motivators for going green, it is actually a reduction in energy costs that is viewed as more beneficial outcome of a green IT implementation, rather than helping the environment.

“Increase in focus on energy-efficient PCs, servers and storage systems seems to be the most common trend and it represents the majority of surveyed firms' green IT investments. Of the organizations that have plans to implement new green IT initiatives over the next year, the largest percentage have plans to invest in virtualization, whether it be for server, storage, or desktop,” shared Silber.

Hurdles in green IT adoption

When asked for reasons for not implementing a green IT strategy, nearly one in five respondents felt that there was no need, while an equally significant fraction said that they had other priorities at the moment. For those willing to consider green IT, finding the right skills tops the list of challenges, ahead of implementation and budgetary concerns. The study's findings also indicate that the market also needs aggressive education as nearly 15 percent of respondents claimed that they do not how or where to begin with regard to green IT.

IBM is the undisputed leader

The study's respondents named IBM as the leader in green IT mindshare, significantly ahead of HP and Dell. However, respondents did not consider any one global IT firm to be the unquestionable green IT market leader when questioned specifically about green software, hardware, services, and communications. The study also revealed that IT vendors with strong green marketing campaigns and credentials have substantial influence over purchasing decisions with a large percentage of the respondents indicating that they consider green credentials when selecting an IT supplier.