IDC Explores The Economy Of Ecology At Its Inaugural Asia/Pacific Green IT Event

Kuala Lumpur, August 7, 2008 – Driven by the realization that climate change is an issue that businesses can, and should, mitigate, both commercial and government organizations are under pressure to 'go green'.

IDC's research has shown this driver has filtered down into the IT department as organizations question what Green IT can do in this overall 'Green' strategy. As CIOs embark on this journey, there is clear evidence that 'going green' not only saves the planet, it also makes good business sense. Hence, the IDC event theme, The Economy of Ecology.

IDC’s Asia/Pacific Green IT Conference 2008, which is set to be held across 8 major cities in Asia/Pacific, will kick-off in mid-August. By bringing industry experts together to share strategic insights into how organizations can reduce the impact of their IT operations on the environment, IDC plans to highlight the drivers and metrics that are important in the Green IT market and to offer actionable advice on driving Green IT initiatives in the region.

In terms of business benefits, IDC's research reveals that CIOs are deriving tangible returns in terms of reduced cost through streamlining operations, improved asset utilization, compliance with regulations and, overall, contributing to a socially responsible corporate image.

The starting point for most Green IT initiatives tends to be within the data center, because this is where most potential energy efficiency gains can be made. However, IDC believes that with all of the current focus on reducing power consumption within the data center, the role of the distributed office environment within the Green IT ecosystem in Asia/Pacific including Japan (APJ) region has been largely underplayed.

"As with the general Green IT space, the initial focus will be on cost-saving in terms of reducing electricity consumption in the distributed environment," states Philip Carter, Principal of Green IT Research at IDC Asia/Pacific. "Part of these organizations are beginning to realize that thin client computing and desktop virtualization can result in significant energy saving at the client level, particularly in large-scale environments. Smaller organizations are also taking advantage of energy management features within existing equipment, as well as setting up 'device switch-off' campaigns for machines when not in use."

IDC believes that organizations need to incorporate the notion of the 'Green Office' into their overall Green IT strategy by ensuring a positive business and environmental outcome in the following three main areas:

Electricity Consumption by PCs (desktops and laptops) as well as peripherals (printers and fax machines)
IT Asset Disposal & Material Usage (of the IT equipments outlined above)
Document Management (specifically in terms of the printing environment)

In terms of IT Asset Disposal, findings from IDC's Asia/Pacific Green Poll highlights that organizations are becoming more aware of the need to dispose of IT assets in a more environmentally-friendly way, particularly in the more mature markets in the region, as outlined in the chart below:

Will your organization be performing a formal assessment of your IT equipment-recycling program over the next 12 months?Clearly, recycling activity does vary by country, with ANZ and Japan leading the way in the Asia/Pacific region.

IDC believes that the impact of European Union (EU) legislation, such as the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive which sets collection, recycling and recovery targets for electrical goods, will set the standard for organizations to aspire towards in the region, even if they are not directly required to comply with the regulation. Similarly, initiatives such as the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT), which is now a US federal government procurement requirement and additional EU legislation in the form of the Restriction on the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive, are ensuring organizations assess the extent of potentially toxic materials being used in IT equipment that vendors are bringing to market.

Finally, the management of the document environment, and specifically paper, is also a key factor within this Green Office framework. Although one would think that paper would be easier to recycle than PCs, IDC’s Green Poll highlights that a higher proportion of organizations are actively recycling PCs and desktops as compared to paper. Philip adds, “The 'paperless office' is still a long way into the future, and until we get there, the benefits of recycling paper cannot be underestimated in terms of ensuring a positive environmental outcome from a Green IT strategy in the office environment.”

More insights from the Green Poll will be revealed at IDC's Asia/Pacific Green IT Conference 2008 which will take place on August 12 at Shangri-la, Kuala Lumpur. Event details can be found on http://www.idc.com.my/Green_IT/default.asp For press enquiries, please contact Belinda Yap at +603-2169 7521 or mailto:hfung@idc.com.