By the time there’s a “For Dummies” book on a topic like Green IT and analytics you can be sure the subject has grown into a mass market phenomenon rivaling Hannah Montana or Twitter. So the number of books suggesting ways to reduce energy use, improve computing efficiency or ‘right-size’ a data center using virtualization and analytics means the field is only sure to grow. But just because it’s popular, doesn’t mean there is nothing new.The aptly-named and wide-ranging title Green IT covers everything from the failed promise of a paperless office to the challenge of recycling electronics and the hazardous materials inside computers and laptop batteries. But read through to the sections on data center and improvement metrics you find there are plenty of ways to measure effects and results. Like a lot of research, getting this level of information about your operations can deliver bottom-line benefits – just another name for business intelligence and the insights that can be mined.
One important step is assembling a multi-disciplinary team that spans technology, finance, facility managers, operations, maybe outside consultants who can understand what is influencing the results. Resources at http://www.greenitinfo.com/linkscan help and here are a few suggestions for continuous improvements.
Gather Data is a first stage where you identify the amounts of electric, gas, all energy costs and the amounts consumed. Document the historical power use with two years – or more – of bills to create a pattern. Consider some other factors such as square foot tools of building space and hours of operation or personnel headcount.
Track Data requires ongoing data input and cross-matching or comparison, ensuring that consistent information is being recorded and stored securely.
Baseline Data is the starting point or average, using as much historical data as possible to create a complete record. That can be a point of comparison for each separate category or the aggregate totals.
Benchmarking gives you a set of reference points as you compare your organization to others – an industry-wide average; peer group of similar size operations in your area; best practices among leaders or even just last year’s figures all provide some idea of progress. That activity needs to be shared with managers, program leaders and regularly updated – every month, quarter or annually.
Analyze whether you are achieving the desired results (Cost savings? Lower utility bills? Changes in usage? Problems in implementation?) And look for the possible reasons for change.
If this sounds like an ongoing process with no end in sight – consider analytics as job security. There’s always something new in technology and ‘doing more with less’ never goes out of style.
David Wallace
Spotfire Blogging Team
Image Credit: Microsoft Blogging Team
