Green Computing: Tools and Techniques for Saving Energy, Money, and Resources
Purchasing Options
Features
- Explains why going green is a necessity for every IT department, and why the green agenda will drive IT for years and decades to come
- Demonstrates not only savings but increased business resiliency from green computing
- Describes how to use the cloud to make software available and store data
- Embodies the green philosophy on how to deploy IT devices, software, and services in a way that makes people more effective with less use of resources
- Shows readers how to make the case for green computing to a wide range of internal and even external audiences
Summary
Explaining how going green can pay for itself, Green Computing: Tools and Techniques for Saving Energy, Money, and Resources ties the green agenda in IT to the broader corporate agenda in risk management, brand management, and reputation management. Written by a leading author in the IT field, this authoritative reference provides easy access to quotable budget justifications that readers can use to place IT stakeholders on the same page for this new agenda that can save valuable resources and the planet.
Bringing together everything IT professionals need to know about green computing, the book embodies a new philosophy on how to deploy IT devices, software, and services in a way that makes people more effective with fewer resources. It presents helpful tips on how to maximize energy savings as well as how to present information gradually to allow peers and stakeholders to absorb it.
The book’s comprehensive coverage includes various types of hardware and software, including the changes currently happening, underlying trends, products currently on the market, and what to expect—or, in some cases, what organizations should ask for—from suppliers in the future.
On the hardware side, the book considers tablet computers—examining the iPad® and Android®-based tablets. On the software side, it examines the general trend toward cloud computing. It provides important examples of this rapidly emerging trend as well as guidance on how to use the cloud to make software available and to store large amounts of data.
Demonstrating the savings and increased business resiliency that can result from green computing, this book offers C-suite executives, senior IT management, project managers, suppliers, and market analysts with the tools required to understand why you need to act, how to act, what to buy, when to do it, and who should act.
Table of Contents
Green Computing and Your Reputation
Key Concepts
Reputation as Motivation
Avoiding Greenwash
Social License to Operate
Green Computing and Your Career
Green Computing and Your Department
Green Recruiting and Retention
Getting the Word Out Inside the Company
Getting the Word Out Outside the Company
Summary
Green Computing and Saving Money
Key Concepts
Why Saving Money Is Green
Getting Focused on Money-Saving Efforts
Implementing Energy Efficiency
Changing How Current Devices Are Used
Moving to Cloud Services
Digitizing Non-IT Functions
Greening Your Energy-Saving Moves
Some Big Thinking About Money-Saving Efforts
Summary
Green Computing and the Environment
Key Concepts
Environmental Drivers for Green Computing
What Drives the Green Agenda?
Key Roots of Environmentalism
Environmentalism and IT
The New Imperative of Climate Change
A Brief History of the Climate
Al Gore and Climate Change
The 2°C Warming "Limit"
Climate Change and IT
What’s Next with Climate Change?
What It Means to "Go Green"
Why IT Is a Climate Change Solution
Career Development and "Going Green"
Summary
A New Vision of Computing
Key Concepts
Cloud Computing Emerges
The End of the PC Era
Some New-Model IT Challenges
A Few Examples from a Multinational
How a Company Adopted the iPhone
A Mental Model for IT Simplicity
Why Green Computing Fits the New Model
Is Cloud Computing the Whole Answer?
Disadvantages of Cloud Computing
Managing Disadvantages of Cloud Computing
What to Do Besides Cloud Computing
Efficiency and Cloud Computing
Greenability and Cloud Computing
Responsibility, Usability, and Cloud Computing
The Philosophical Implications of Green Computing
The Zen of Green Computing
Summary
Building a Green Device Portfolio
Introduction
Why Green Works for Device Purchases
Pushing Computing Down the Device Pyramid
Another Dimension of Device Pyramid Greenness
Green Computing and Embodied Energy
Green Computing and Running Costs
Planned Obsolescence Isn’t Green
Green Computing and Device Disposal
The Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics
Support Employees’ Device Choices
Publicizing Your Process
Summary
Finding Green Devices
Key Concepts
What Makes a Device Green?
What Makes a Supplier Green?
Case Study: HP vs. Dell
Giving Suppliers and Vendors Feedback
Publicizing Your Selection Process and the Winner
A Sample Statement of Green Buying Principles
Desktop Computers
Laptops
Sustainability and Failure to Supply
The Case of Windows 8
Tablets
"Less Computer" and "Computer-less" Solutions
Summary
Green Servers and Data Centers
Key Concepts
Choosing and Creating Green Data Centers
Green Data Centers as a Model
The Last Shall Be First
What Makes a Data Center Green?
Building and Power Supply Considerations
Servers, Storage, and Networking
Data Center Suppliers
Summary
Saving Energy
Key Concepts
Saving Energy Serves Many Masters
Cost Savings through Energy Savings
Risk Reduction through Energy Savings
Carbon Footprint Reduction through Energy Savings
Improving Your Reputation and Brand
Why Energy Prices Will Stay High
Embodied Energy
Analyzing Your Energy Usage
A Recipe for Energy Savings
Understanding the Unique Energy Needs of IT
Focusing on Solar Power
Saving Energy and the Supply Chain
Energy-Saving Pilot Projects
Selling Energy Savings
Summary
Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Key Concepts
Why Greenhouse Gas Emissions Are Important
Sources and Sinks of Greenhouse Gases and Warming
Is There Still Doubt About Climate Change?
Why Are There Still Doubters and Deniers?
What If I Work for Doubters and Deniers?
So What’s Next with Climate Change?
Reducing Emissions I: Embodied Energy
Reducing Emissions II: Daily Energy Use
Reducing Emissions III: Taking Steps to Use Different Sources
Reducing Emissions IV: Supply Chain Success
Summary
Reducing Resource Use
Why Resource Use Is Important
A Resource Use Checklist
Planned Obsolescence and Resource Use
The Story of Apple and EPEAT
Case Study: Computer Hardware and RSI
Summary
Green Computing by Industry Segment
Evaluating Greenness
The Newsweek Green 500 Approach
Looking at Industry Segments
Analyzing Your Own Initiatives, Company, and Sector
Summary
The Future: Deep Green
ComputingKey Concepts
Green Computing and the Future
Megatrends for Green Computing
An Increasing Need for Sustainability
The Continually Decreasing Cost of Core Computing Capabilities
The Ability of Computing to Do More and More
Telepresence Instead of Travel
Telecommuting Instead of Commuting
Toward Deep Green Computing
Platforms for Deep Green Computing
Selling Deep Green Computing
Summary
References
Index
Author Bio(s)
Floyd (Bud) E. Smith is one of the most accomplished authors of computing books around—and a green writer and activist as well. Bud has written about technical topics, such as microprocessor programming and video cards; online subjects, including Internet marketing and Web usability; and social media, from Google Plus to Facebook for business. His writing career parallels his work for some of the biggest names in technology. Bud has worked for search engine pioneer AltaVista, Web browser pioneer Netscape, and computing and electronics pioneer Apple, among other technology leaders.
Recently, Bud has focused on environmental concerns. He has become active in the international Transition Towns movement and is a member of the Initiating Committee for Transition San Francisco.
Bud wrote his first book about climate change, Runaway (published by Business and Technical Communication Services [BATCS], in 2008) and has written a book on green roofs. Green Computing gives Bud the opportunity to bring together his two strongest interests: technology and the environment.
Bud’s next book will describe the impact of climate change on the San Francisco Bay Area.
