Green technology has become a significant business driver for those manufacturers that have embraced it and are producing products that are environmentally friendly - and of course, they also help reduce costs for their users. Indeed, enterprises are actively making technology purchasing decisions based on the products' impact on the environment. Naturally, they must support their business needs, but other factors being equal, green wins out, and can even outweigh other factors if the cost savings is significant enough.
According to a recent study, more than half of businesses surveyed consider "greenness" when selecting their technology vendors, and a third say place a high or very high importance on it. Looking to the future, almost eight of every ten executives surveyed say green IT is growing in importance within their organizations.
This doesn't come as a surprise, given the cost savings that can be achieved through the adoption of greener technologies. Operationally, more efficient equipment lowers both power and cooling costs, and reduces the physical footprint lowering capital expenditures as well.
Still, many businesses have yet to truly embrace eco-sustainability as a corporate responsibility. The telecom sector, however, is in a position to help drive eco-sustainability in both business and residential environments. The obvious way is through the continued development and promotion of eco-friendly hardware.
But, by leveraging the latest communication technology and trends, they can also help lower the environmental impact of business operations through the promotion of greener applications and services.
For instance, video conferencing has become a key factor in driving down travel costs among enterprises - but reduced travel also reduces the environmental impact of traveling to meetings. The video conferencing services offered by today's communications vendors eliminate the traditional obstacles of distance, enabling face-to-face communications between business colleagues, clients, and partners, without requiring travel.
The same IP-based networks also enable telecommuting on a part- or full-time basis, again reducing the physical footprint, operational costs and environmental impact of enterprise technology - while reducing the greenhouse gas emissions by reducing travel between home and office for telecommuters.
In the contact center segment, work-at-home agents are becoming increasingly popular, for the same reasons. Call centers can hire new agents while limiting the need for added infrastructure and operational costs. Furthermore, at-home workers allow for increased hiring flexibility, allowing businesses to hire the very best agents, regardless of where they are, further increasing their overall productivity. This also has the potential to actually reduce headcount and related infrastructure by creating a more efficient workforce.
In addition, the connectivity enabled by today's networking technology and applications allows for paperless environments and Web-based collaboration. The use of electronic documentation not only increases the efficiency of operations, but reduces the environmental impact of printing out thousands of documents.
It's clear that businesses are looking to become more environmentally responsible - though largely because of the cost savings that are inherent to "going green." Regardless, the telecom sector, thanks to the proliferation of IP networking solutions and eco-friendly technologies, are in a position to play a major role in driving greenhouse gas reduction and energy conservation in the global business environment.
The networks and services that are enabling businesses to become more environmentally friendly and operationally efficient rely on effective technology decisions, which, as already noted, already include an increased awareness the green equipment. To read how Alcatel-Lucent is helping drive the global telecom market to a greener future through its technology research and development, read its recent white paper, Reducing Power Consumption: Improving the heat and power efficiency of switching and telephony equipment."
