Marco de Sa’ explains why green IT is good for small businesses.
Just over a year ago, the debate about cleaning up carbon footprints was limited to specialist groups – today it is on everybody’s agenda.

Over the last year, IT operations have moved into the spotlight – particularly larger corporations with their power-hungry data centres, thousands of desktop computers and network peripherals. It has become clear that this is an area where definite energy reductions can be delivered, and many have realised that IT can be used to reduce energy use in other ways too. For example, the reduction of travel thanks to teleconferencing.

Another factor that is increasing the pressure for energy efficient IT is the cost of energy in the UK, which is rising sharply. Meanwhile the price of hardware continues to fall, affecting the cost balance. For smaller companies, there are huge gains to be made by going green and the easiest way to begin is with IT.

For starters, not only will efficiency be increased by putting in place an effective and affordable solution, but your energy bill would be significantly reduced (around £100 per computer per year), and you could use this money elsewhere – to cover rising fuel costs for example.

Many companies now have a corporate social responsibility practice whose role is to mitigate the social and environmental impacts of the organisation – as awareness grows, environmental strategy is becoming a larger part of an organisation’s brand image and value. What does this mean for smaller businesses that depend on business from big companies? Well, part of the environmental strategy of larger corporations often includes aligning themselves with suppliers and partners who have a green agenda, as a small business, if you don’t go green, you might lose.

Luckily, as a small business, you are in a unique position to go green quicker than most, and by starting with IT, you will be able to start measuring the results and enjoying the rewards. Better efficiency, lower costs and recognised for your social responsibility … there is so much to gain.