Four Ways to Decrease Your IT Departments Energy Costs

December 2, 2013

When it comes to your company’s IT department, there are many areas in which you can decrease energy use. From server virtualization and data center consolidation to purchasing more energy efficient equipment, these green options will not only be more energy efficient, but also cut costs drastically. At ITS, Inc., our IBM certified consultants are experienced in best practices for a more energy-efficient IT department.

1. Measuring Energy Use- The first step in creating a greener IT department at your business is measuring your current energy use. Gathering these metrics is the best way to start any project, as it provides you with useful data to help you determine what areas you need to focus on. For example, if your servers are accounting for the vast majority of your overall IT energy use, your green initiative should focus on both server virtualization and using more energy efficient servers.
2. Server Virtualization- One way to decrease energy use in your IT department is through server virtualization. Many companies still use an older system that entails one physical server for each application, which leads to much higher energy costs as well as server sprawl and the underutilization of your hardware. With server virtualization, our IBM certified consultants configure multiple virtual servers that are run by just one physical server. This lowers your energy costs and maximizes the use of your space and hardware.
3. Data Center Consolidation- Another best practice for decreasing energy use in your IT department is data center consolidation. Data center consolidation involves reducing your data centers either by merging multiple centers or reducing a single center in size. With data center consolidation, you can reduce energy costs as well as server sprawl. You will also maximize your ROI when it comes to your existing hardware.
4. Energy Efficient Equipment- Finally, you can also decrease energy costs in your business’s IT department by purchasing more energy-efficient equipment. For example, you can purchase servers that have the ENERGY STAR label, meaning that they are recommended by this government program for energy efficiency. With ENERGY STAR servers, you can reduce your energy use by an average of 30%. 

At ITS, Inc., we offer both server virtualization and data center consolidation services to help make your business’s IT department a more energy-efficient space. Contact ITS, Inc. today to work with our IBM certified consultants.

Thanks for reading,

Rob Connary, President - COO

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