Using Network Optimisation to go "Green"

The impact of our activities on the global climate is now widely acknowledged. It may still be possible to end or even reverse global warming - the key is action. Businesses need to take immediate steps to limit emissions and reduce their carbon footprint and consideration of the environmental impact of IT systems can be a key step towards achieving this.

The consolidation of servers and storage to improve power efficiency in the datacentre is a widely discussed subject in the IT press, however the lesser considered angle is that of network optimisation to further reduce energy consumption. Network infrastructures often grow over time in a piecemeal, adhoc manner. The result is often an ageing, disparate network with a wide variety of devices that do not operate at the optimal level in terms of performance or energy consumption. In moving towards a consolidated network infrastructure, organisations can significantly improve the performance of their LAN or WAN whilst reducing energy costs and consumption.

In addition, new unified communications technologies such as integrated voice, video and web conferencing functions, allow for a significant reduction in the need for “routine” business travel and subsequently a much "greener" business.

One estimate is that conducting meetings online can produce financial savings averaging around £1700.00 per executive. In the case of those who undertake international travel during the course of their work, this rises significantly.

In environmental terms every business return trip to JFK, New York from London Heathrow contributes 1.5 tonnes of CO2 to the atmosphere. A substantial proportion of this could be eliminated by using IP collaboration technology.