Being ecologically aware and environmentally sound is, increasingly, good business practice. Environmental awareness can actually be a cost-saving measure which means bigger bottom-line impact.

One of the biggest potential cost savings points on power use is your data center. Once you’ve got a handle on the why and how of greening up your data center, a clear path should open up that provides community goodwill, an improved chance of sales, and cost savings for your business.

Why should I green up my data center?

Greening up the data center comes with a slate of benefits:

• Competitive match. Increasingly, Fortune 500 companies are going green, with a “green energy and sustainability agenda” either already in place or being developed. Failing to keep up with this trend could mean falling behind in the market.
• Direct government subsidy. The UK government, for example, offers tax relief for businesses making purchases in the green vein, and it’s far from the only such governmental effort. A lower bill at tax time is seldom unwelcome.
• Cost savings. The data center is increasingly a costly environment thanks to power required to run servers and cooling systems. Using less power is a cost savings measure; the less power you use, the more savings you realize.

How do I green up my data center?

Understanding why is a good start. How you actually green up the data center, however, is just as important:

• Virtualization. A virtualized data center that uses cloud-based systems can reduce some of the power required to operate a physical data center.
• Consider upgrades. If you can’t virtualize, consider looking into some new data center tools. Power management systems, energy-efficient servers, and more can be a big help in dropping those power bills.
• Make your own power. Instead of buying all your kilowatt hours from the grid system, consider making your own power instead. Wind energy can often be set up remotely, and biogas alternatives can work closer by. This also provides a great disaster preparedness option in the event of a blackout.

How do I get started with a greener data center?

Now that you know the why and how, let’s consider the who. Talking to Emcon IT is a great place to start. With a wide array of data center maintenance tools on hand, Emcon knows how to help businesses cut back on power used while still getting the most out of the data center.