Simple IT strategy: save money and be environmentally friendly

 

Intelligent information technology (IT) business practices can reduce the environmental impact of doing business and help SMEs reduce costs. If employees are environmentally conscious and actively involved in environmental protection, even the busiest SMEs can implement a simple “green” strategy with little or no equipment or labor costs. Consider the following environmentally friendly IT strategy:

 

Turn off the power consumption device

 

Saving electricity can help your company save money and achieve environmental protection. Some solutions to this situation include:

 

Activate the idle settings of the idle display and PC. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) predicts that this approach will save nearly $75 per year in electricity bills per computer. IT staff can use commercial software from a management console to control the power management features of networked computers.

 

Replace high-power cathode ray tube (CRT) displays and televisions with more efficient light-emitting diode (LED) displays.

 

merge

 

Converging multiple networks into one infrastructure reduces the number of products (and their power consumption) and reduces cabling distances, ultimately reducing the output of electrical and electronic waste (waste electrical and electronic equipment or e-waste); another advantage is achieved More efficient centralized management.

 

Deploy a wireless network to create a more flexible work environment and reduce cabling and power requirements.

 

Buy "green products"

 

Buy multi-function, not single-function IT products. Because versatile products are easier to manage, lower in cost, and consume less power than single-purpose products. For example, a Cisco platform for small businesses can provide the functionality of seven separate products—routers, firewalls, VPNs, Power over Ethernet switches, WiFi access points, telephony gateways, and voice communications.

 

Reduce employee travel

 

Encourage secure telecommuting by implementing a VPN-based solution.

 

Use telepresence technology for training, sales presentations, project collaboration and other team activities to reduce travel time and travel costs while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. To reduce CO2 emissions, SMBs with converged IP networks can use telepresence applications to combine video, audio and interactive elements; other SMBs can use WebEx's subscription service.

 

Don't litter e-waste

 

E-waste is a serious problem: soil, water and air are contaminated by toxic metals and organic chemicals. According to the European Environment Agency, the annual per capita production of 17-20 kg of waste electrical and electronic equipment in Europe. Until recently, more than 90% of the waste was buried, burned or recycled without any treatment. According to the Silicon Valley Toxic Substances Alliance, the United States has more than 500 million used computers, and only 10% are properly recycled. Some solutions to this situation include:

 

The EU requires that the end of life products be handed over to the manufacturer. The EU Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Processing Directive requires electronic equipment suppliers to recycle their products, properly dispose of toxic products and recycle certain components; users should return the products for free. Some IT manufacturers in the European Union intend to extend the disposal and recycling of used electrical and electronic equipment to other regions.