Business Intelligence and Green IT
SaaS and Cloud Computing are ‘green’. They enable companies to reduce their data center investments and allow employees to reduce their time commuting. While reducing our carbon footprint is good for society, leveraging shared services is also good for corporate wallets. Cloud computing, Software as a Service (SaaS) and virtualization become potent carbon-reduction tools when offered through large-scale operations.
Cloud and utility computing, virtualization, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), Desktop-as-a Service and open source software represent technologies that serve business needs first, yet are also greener than existing technologies. Thin-client desktops and SaaS, for example, reduce the amount of power consumed, and volume of physical hardware and software produced and shipped. From a business point of view, user mobility is increased and data is centrally stored, better controlled and more secure.
With the drive to being more environmentally responsible, CIOs are setting initiatives to reduce carbon emissions. With efforts in reducing the carbon footprint focused on the data center, such as reducing power consumption of the server farms, management may be missing the point. For example, a company can reduce fuel bills through better route planning for its trucks. That justifies a lot of server power.
Without the tracking of this sort of key data, management may be focused in the wrong direction. With proper information and analysis, companies can make better decisions and reduce emissions where it gives the most added values. It seems that Enterprise applications like BI would be perfect in tracking, analyzing and notifying management on the results of their green strategic initiatives.
Sometime huge investments in IT Infrastructure may be green. An increase in IT spending and the IT infrastructure does not necessarily mean a larger carbon footprint or a more negative environmental impact. For example, investing in video-conferencing technology and collaboration-enabling software can help to reduce international travel. In the office, thin-client desktops or PC’s can reduce power consumption and noise while control systems can regulate heating, lighting and air-conditioning, thus reducing energy consumption and costs.
The BI and data-driven Decision Support System (DSS) community of users and consultants can lead the way towards Green IT.
With the help of BI, organizations can make data available in the form of reports to its users, suppliers and customers, without having the need to print and send. BI helps organization to push the reports to its customers through e-mail by scheduling them at regular intervals. For example, 1KEY Scheduler from 1KEY Agile BI Suite helps our customer Indian-Infoline to push the reports to its customers through e-mail. Such features in BI help save lot of paper & printing wherein it is mandatory or a regulatory compliance to provide the periodical statements.
Companies are finding that going green isn’t just good for the environment; it’s good for business as well. Sustainable green practices can be a huge selling point to both partners and customers. Cutting edge business intelligence companies have already developed applications to help companies go green with ease.
BI applications guide companies through a process that will figure out wasteful practices that can be eliminated and sustainable ones that can be enhanced and duplicated in the company. In addition, BI can be used to track productivity. With the business intelligence information, companies can then start to develop a strategy to enhance sustainability. Companies can use preset metrics to determine their sustainability or they can add their own custom metrics. As the sustainability of each business practice increases, so does the sustainability of the business.
In addition to saving money on operating costs long term with sustainable practices, companies can gain a competitive advantage by going green. By differentiating the company’s brand as green, organizations can gain traction with customers that seek out products and services that are environmentally conscious. By gaining a hold in this market while it is still relatively new, companies can start establishing themselves as green even before it becomes the norm.
Companies can start incorporating green business intelligence into their decision making process as soon as is convenient. It may be rare for a company to offers sustainable management applications that can be used with business intelligence, but at least one very well respected company does. Green business intelligence makes sense for all companies, especially as resources become more and more scarce.
BI helps organizations being more efficient. Being more efficient doesn’t just help them boost profits, it also helps the environment. For example, companies from Logistics industry can easily allow comparing periodic performance across the fleet at a glance.
Business critical data is presented on simple displays using graphics to identify performance versus investments. BI gives individual performance, productivity, idle time to help company motivate the team to source more efficient ways and save on resources.
The data can also be fed into employee league tables to encourage a focused and competitive environment. This detailed insight will help everyone become more aware of their actions and their impact today, so you can have a brighter, more profitable tomorrow.
Historical data is growing very fast globally. Our data needs are part of the problem. With a BI tool, organizations can save lot of report creation man-hours thereby increasing productivity. With BI, self-service ad-hoc reports can be created on-the-fly by the business users across the enterprise.
Posted on July 27th, 2009 by Sanjay Mehta
Filed under: Business Intelligence, Emerging Trends
Great Post on Eco-friendly BI & IT measures!
SaaS as an carbon foot print reduction gives a new perspective ! Goin green works out well for organisations as part of Corporate Social Responsibility, saves up in energy consumption and creates a reputable presence. Of course all this in addition to doing their bit to save the planet.
Just to put a note; in case you or your readers are interested to know more on green/alternate/clean energy with relevance to IP – here’s a good report on Solar Photovoltaic Cells from a Market & IP Perspective in the Boston Business Journal
http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/prnewswire/press_releases/national/India/2009/07/21/UKM025
Wow thanks for the information! It’s about time to help our planet and conserve it from total destruction. Let’s start from ourselves, and the rest will follow, hopefully!