Sustainable Computing
Each year IT consumes 4 – 5 per cent of the total global energy that is produced, the equivalent of around 1 billion tonnes of CO2. The environmental impact accumulates further when taking into account the numerous chemicals used when manufacturing a PC and the number released upon disposal. The costs are also compounded by the high price of WEEE compliant decommissioning when they reach end-of-life on the desks of our homes and offices.
Environmental accountability is at the heart of Corporate Social Responsibility policy within large organisations and recent DTI research points towards a broad correlation between sustainability and business competitiveness. A link has also been established between positive public attitudes to organisations with a pro-active approach to sustainability issues and improved economic growth.
Legislation on this issue, which aims to enforce ever tightening controls and penalties throughout the European marketplace, is geared towards limiting the environmental impact of conducting business. The most common focus of these laws is to tackle the global warming which results from the build up of ‘greenhouse gas’ emissions in the atmosphere.
By reducing Carbon Footprint – the relative amount of CO2 either produced directly though manufacturing processes or indirectly as a result of energy consumption, any business can contribute to solving this global issue. |
Public sector organisations themselves are now under stricter regulation than ever before, and are being targeted with a combination of ‘Green’ procurement policies and demanding reductions in their Carbon Footprint.
Technology companies are quick to point out the green benefits and energy reducing features of their latest product and service. However, reliance on spurious tree-planting incentives and carbon offsetting does little more than shift the burden of responsibility around, as opposed to combating the underlying issue of the actual emissions.
Corporate IT has been driven by an exponential increase in the processing, storage and memory capabilities of new hardware innovation. More power to the desktop usually means more power consumption and lower energy efficiency, with little to be shown in terms of productivity gains; other than the ability to run the latest version of an operating system or application. |
ukngroup takes a different approach.
Our UTC desktop strategy identifies where users realise no tangible benefits from powerful desktop hardware, and relocates the entire processing, storage and operating environment into the server room or data centre. Each desktop device typically consumes only 4 Watts of energy, a 95 per cent reduction when compared to a traditional PC. With all operating systems, applications and processing resident on servers, the desktop estate can be centralised, commoditised and optimally configured for energy efficiency.
The UTC Desktop Strategy lets you:
- Achieve power specific reductions in Carbon Footprint,
- Extend the desktop refresh cycle beyond seven years
- Improve worker flexibility and achieve greater utilisation of desktop assets
- Make disposal of hardware cleaner and cheaper
- Unclutter the office with more available desk space and tidier workstations
- Cut ambient noise and improve office air quality
- Gain greater control over building temperature and air-conditioning requirements
