Furthermore, of the companies which do incorporate these practices, 63 percent admit they still give priority to the supplier offering the lowest price. Just 10 percent of UK businesses will only deal with suppliers that comply with their green IT procurement policy.
The survey also revealed that 65 percent of UK companies have no policy in place to improve energy efficiency, although half of these businesses do intend to adopt an energy management system (EMS) within the next 12 months. Overall, the figures indicate that green IT procurement and practices are still some way from being a top priority for the majority of UK firms.
“Many businesses seem to be labouring under the misapprehension that going green with their IT will break the bank. Actually, implementing environmentally friendly policies can save money,” says Charles Davis, CEO of the SAS Group. “Whilst in all probability companies will prioritise profits above all else, going green doesn’t necessarily have to involve splashing out on expensive new products. All businesses can take simple steps, like consolidating servers and routers, for example, and implementing best-practice power management. In the data centre, a few physical changes can have a significant impact, such as reducing the ceiling height, reorientating air con units vertically and putting hot racks together. All of this can have financial and environmental benefits.”
The results of the SAS Group’s survey reflect particularly badly on the manufacturing sector. Just 28 percent of manufacturers have an energy management policy in place, and only three percent adhere to green IT procurement policies. The computing, retail and business sectors fare best with 50 percent of companies in each of these industries taking steps to improve energy efficiency. Financial and media businesses follow closely behind, with the figures standing at 44 and 40 percent respectively.