Strategies to Be More it Efficient

Green IT Strategies as they relate to Drivers, Dimensions and Goals There are many drivers that are pushing the move to more sustainable IT practices. This trend has become known as green IT. The drivers of the trend have contributed to the dimensions in which the dedication to more efficient practices manifests in many different ways. The authors of the text describe green strategies in the following way (Unhelkar, 2011): "Green strategies outline a long-term and unified approach of an organization toward environmental responsibility.

Green strategies include Green IT, but as argued in the opening chapter, this consolidated approach to Green IT implies due consideration to all aspects of an organization from the environmental viewpoint." Many different organizational processes and departments must all collaborate to institute Green IT practices. Most people intuitively believe that these practices are centered upon computing, but in reality a green strategy is much more comprehensive than that. However, the Green IT strategy must also be complimentary to the overall business objectives.

If the Green strategy is too far removed from the core business it can be counterproductive. Instead of coming up with a brand new green strategy that does not align with the core business of the organization, it is worthwhile considering the overall strategic approach to the environment as a business approach -- environmentally responsible business strategies (Unhelkar, 2011). Environmentally Responsible Business Strategies (ERBS) The ERBS represents the conceptual framework that many organizations use to identify their position in respect to the environment and their operating practices.

This model is being refined on an ongoing basis and is finding support in various business transformation and business intelligence domains -- being called green enterprise transformation (GET) and environmental intelligence respectively (Unhelkar, 2011). Whatever model is chosen for the organization, much of the conceptual framework will have to be customized to fit the business and the industry in which it operates. For example, other organizations have altered this model to create a green enterprise transformation (GET) model that they have implemented to move their organization towards a more sustainable path.

There are many drivers that can push an organization to implement a green strategy. "Effective green strategies result from an approach that cuts across all the tiers and silos of an organization; such strategies come from individual understanding, leadership, vision, knowledge about the structure and dynamics of the organization, awareness of the operational nuances of the organization, and the attitude of people (stakeholders) to utilize change (Unhelkar, 2011)." One of the drivers is risk mitigation. There are many aspects of risk mitigation that can influence and organization.

Some of these can be thought of one an ideological level. For example, everyone understands that it is good to have a minimal impact on the environment as possible. However, there are also tactical risk concerns. For example, a carbon tax could be a realistic regulation in the short-term and organizations that do not operate efficiently could be exposed to such a threat. Organizations that do not operate energy efficiently could be forced to pay heavy taxes in the near future.

There are also mounting pressures from other stakeholders such as investors and customers. Investors are becoming increasingly concerned about the social and environmental consequences of business operations. At the same time, many customers will actually research the environmental impacts that a company is responsible for and base their purchasing decisions on this information. More and more organizations are also reporting their social and environmental performances in some of the new reporting systems that have emerged.

Most of these are voluntary at the moment, but they could become mandatory later down the road. Because of all of these drivers, organizations are implementing green IT practices. There are a range.