Gartner urges firms not to shelve their green ambitions

Analysts Gartner has warned firms not to cut back on green PC initiatives under the misguided belief that they are saving money by doing so.

The firm warned that such activity would lead to false economies, and advised firms that a green roll out would save money in the near to long-term. “Faced with an economic downturn, many organisations tend to cut back on soft programmes — such as green efforts — as a cost saving measure,” said Steve Kleynhans, research vice-president at Gartner. “However, companies need to pursue these low-risk initiatives as they often provide quick returns that are especially attractive in a cost-cutting environment.”

“Green PC initiatives typically do not add significantly to ongoing operational costs, and the small upfront costs associated with them are usually easily recovered 12 to 18 months after the programme begins,” Mr. Kleynhans added.

Gartner provided a list of four key areas in which firms could save money. It advised buyers to look for eco-friendly badges on PCs, as these would reduce power consumption, to employ power management tools, and to benefit from the proper avenues for recycling old kit.

Explaining this last point, the firm said, "System recycling is the preferable solution but even machines beyond refurbishment will have value based on parts and embedded recyclable materials."

The report “Cutting Back on Green PC Initiatives Leads to False Economies" is available on Gartner’s web site.