Gartner: IT directors must go green

Analyst group Gartner is warning IT departments to wake up to the challenge of making infrastructure more environmentally sustainable.

The global analyst firm believes few heads of IT are deciding on initiatives to cut their carbon footprint, and will be in for a surprise when business leaders start demanding action on the issue.

Mark Raskino, a Gartner fellow, said on Thursday: "This is a very strong business issue and the IT department will be expected to make a contribution. They will be asked, 'What could you offer to help us control our carbon footprint?'"

Raskino said that between 30 and 40 per cent of IT departments "don't care about the issue at all". He said only five to 10 per cent were being proactive in terms of developing relevant policies.

The analyst added that the term 'green' was becoming dirtied, and that the focus going forward should concentrate on the concept of sustainability instead. Home-working and videoconferencing might help IT departments reduce their organisations' carbon footprint, he explained.

Richard Thurston writes for ZDNet UK.