Why A Framework?

Green ICT – sometimes called Green IT – is a much-discussed topic, in the ICT industry and beyond. The problem is, it means different things to different people. There are too many definitions, and not enough definition.

This lack of definition has made it difficult to measure the effectiveness or the extent of an organisation’s implementation of Green ICT. As the old saying goes, you can’t manage what you can’t measure. And you can’t measure what you can’t define.

To many people, Green ICT is only about reducing the energy consumption and carbon footprint of the ICT function within the organization. ICT is a significant consumer of electricity worldwide, on a par with the airline industry. Therefore it makes sense, as emission reduction becomes desirable and even mandatory, that ICT users should look at ways of reducing the energy consumption of their systems.

But there is more to Green ICT than that – which is why Green ICT is becoming an increasingly important issue. Green ICT goes beyond the ICT function and the ICT department – in many ways ICT, and Green ICT, is a central enabling technology to many aspects of sustainability. In very many cases ICT provides the measurement tool, the data repository, the reporting mechanism and the mitigation techniques that make sustainability possible.

Green ICT is becoming an important issue for many reasons. Data center power bills are soaring as electricity prices go up and new server technologies pack more and more processors, which consume more and more power, into less and less space. Water cooling is making a comeback to handle the heat dissipation issues. At the same time tough economic circumstances are putting a greater focus on running costs, and power consumption as a component of those costs is becoming more visible. Reporting requirements are becoming more stringent and there is an increased awareness across business and society of the unsustainability of many current consumption patterns.

ICT as a low-carbon enabler is an important component of the Green ICT Framework. It is not enough simply to reduce ICT’s carbon footprint – to make a real difference, ICT must be harnessed to greater purposes.

This process includes...

Equipment Lifecycle

This pillar covers the acquisition and procurement of ICT equipment, and disposal or recycling at the end of its lifecycle in an environmentally responsible fashion.

ICT equipment, like all other equipment, passes through a lifecycle. It is manufactured, sold (and for every sale there is a purchase), used and often reused, and then ultimately disposed of. That disposal may mean it is discarded or destroyed, but it may also be sold or given to another person or organization, where it has another lifecycle contained within its larger lifecycle.

End User Computing

End User Computing is that part of the ICT process which the end user controls. There are four areas – personal computing (desktop), personal computing (mobile), departmental computing, and printing and consumables. For each of these there are a range of different technologies and techniques that can reduce the organization’s power consumption and carbon footprint. End User Computing is especially important because, as the only part of ICT that exists outside of the specialized ICT function, it has the greatest effect on the wider green attitudes and behavior of the organisation’s workforce.

In many organizations, particularly larger ones, there is a significant amount of computing that takes place in end user departments away from the control of the ICT department.

Printing and Consumables

Printing is one of the largest consumers of resources in the IT function. There are a number of factors, of which the actual power consumption of printers is just one. Printers are very inefficient users of energy. They are usually left on, and consume significant amounts of energy even when idle. But there are many other factors which, while they do not directly affect the organization’s power consumption, have a significant effect on the environment.

Enterprise Computing

Enterprise Computing is that part of the ICT function controlled directly by the ICT department – typically the data center, networking, software development and outsourcing. In organizations large enough to have a data center, the effective management of the equipment within it and its environment can be one of the most important aspects of Green ICT.

Data Center ICT Equipment

The two most important types of ICT equipment in the data center include servers (including mainframes) and storage devices. Servers are usually the biggest consumers of power, and that power consumption continues to rise as more powerful processors are used inside them, and as the number of servers proliferates.

The average power consumption of a rack of servers has increased fivefold over the last ten years.

Data Center Environmentals

Quite apart from the ICT equipment in the data center, there is the issue of the data centre itself. The data centre’s non-ICT infrastructure can quite easily (and most often does) consume more power than the ICT equipment within it. There are three main aspects:

Networking and Communications

Communications – the “C” in ICT, plays a significant role in modern ICT. There are a number of green issues specifically to do with communications. These include:

Outsourcing and Cloud Computing

Outsourcing has been one of the big issues in ICT since the industry began, with computer bureaux, in the 1950s. The issues have evolved as the technology has evolved. Ultimately, all outsourcing is a make vs. buy decision. Is it more effective to make or do something yourself, or have someone else build it or do it for you? The equation keeps changing, depending on a number of factors.

In ICT, outsourcing discussions have traditionally centered around the issues of cost and capability. The cost argument usually runs along the lines of the outsourcer having economies of scale that are unavailable in-house, and the capability argument along the lines that the requisite skills are not available in-house.

The rise of sustainability as an issue has added a new dimension to the ICT outsourcing debate. Many facilities management companies are now highlighting their green credentials and building energy-efficient data centers that they say will enable users to lower their overall carbon footprint.  That may well be the case, but the traditional make vs buy arguments still hold. One key issue with outsourcing, and one that is overlooked surprisingly often, is that of measurement. It is impossible to tell if outsourcing is a good deal or not financially if you don’t know the real cost of what is being outsourced. Similarly, you can’t tell if an outsourcer is going to reduce your carbon footprint if you don’t know what it is to start with.

Recent complication to the outsourcing debate is the emergence of cloud computing, where processing takes place in the “cloud” – somewhere on the Internet far from the user. Cloud computing is not necessarily outsourced, but it very often is – making the debate even more complex.

Software Architecture

Computer systems consist of software running on hardware. Indeed, it is often argued that the software is the system, and that the hardware is simply an enabling technology. Most discussion about Green ICT refer to hardware, but software is also a factor.

The software architecture often determines the hardware architecture, which in turn may have a significant effect on the amount or type of hardware used – with all the consequences of the energy consumption of those systems. The way software is developed and used is significant – code can be efficient, or it can be “bloatware”. Systems can be developed from scratch, adapted or borrowed (with “objects”) from other software, or purchased off-the-shelf. Each approach has consequences for energy consumption.

ICT as a Low-Carbon Enabler

It is generally agreed that ICT is responsible for around 2 percent of the world’s carbon emissions – mainly through the usage of electricity to run the hardware, much of which comes from carbon-emitting power stations. That means that even if the carbon footprint of the entire world’s ICT function was halved, overall emissions would fall by only 1 percent.

The real potential benefits of Green ICT are in using ICT as an enabling technology to help the organization, and the wider community, reduce its carbon emissions. That is covered by the fourth pillar of the Framework.

Governance and Compliance

Many organisations nowadays are conscious of the desirability of being a good corporate citizen. Increasingly, that means acting in a green and sustainable manner. Publicity about climate change and related issues has greatly raised the profile of sustainability, and virtually all organizations are attempting to boost their green credentials. In some cases they do it because they are forced to, in some cases it is a case of “greenwash” or paying only lip service to environmental matters. But in many cases the organization’s management sincerely wants to do the right thing.

There is now an increased awareness that, when it comes to the environment, everybody is a stakeholder, and that good corporate governance also includes good environmental management. Green ICT is in many ways a management and governance issue. I

Teleworking and Collaboration

The term “teleworking” covers a range of technologies and practices that have to do with working at a distance or working remotely. Varieties of teleworking include telecommuting, teleconferencing and videoconferencing, and telepresence (a form of high-resolution videoconferencing).

Collaboration tools and techniques enhance the capability of a group of people to work together. There are a great many ways to do this, but all of them entail being able to share documents an processes and information, making their business processes more efficient (see below) and reducing the need for physical contact. In that sense, collaboration is a teleworking, with all the benefits of that process.

Business Process Management

Business Process Management (BPM) is the process of improving the ways an organisation or an individual does things – making them more efficient, with fewer steps or greater effect. The term is used in both a specific and a general sense. The specific sense refers to a management discipline called BPM, which typically identifies five phases: Design, Modeling, Execution, Monitoring and Optimization. In the general sense, BPM refers to the overall process of managing and improving business processes. ICT has a major role to play in improving most business processes. It provides both the tools for modeling the processes and many of the enabling technologies for execution.

Business Applications

Most organisations run a number of ICT-based business applications. The range varies greatly depending on the industry sector, but typical applications include Financial Management Information Systems (FMIS), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Supply Chain Management (SCM) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM). Many organizations also run more specialised or even custom applications specific to their industry, or to provide them with competitive advantage.

ICT is very important in each of these applications, which are essentially specialized business process management exercises. Managers seek greater efficiencies in every phase of every process. The fewer times and the shorter distance physical items have to be moved, the better. The fewer transactions that need to be made, the better.

Very small improvements can have a significant effect, because of the scale of the operation and because of flow-on effects further up (or down) the supply chain. Green ICT has a very important role in improving the efficiency of many industrial and commercial processes specific to individual industries, such as the manufacturing process, electricity distribution, and engineering and construction. Every industry has unique processes which can be made more efficient through the application of ICT – and efficiency means green.

Carbon Emissions Management

Carbon Emissions Management is an emerging discipline which focuses on the management – and ultimately the mitigation – of an organization’s carbon emissions. This includes the use of ICT systems specifically designed to reduce the carbon footprint, rather than doing so as a byproduct of greater efficiency. A key ICT application is Carbon Emissions Management Software (CEMS), which provide a compliant and consistent format for presenting greenhouse gas emission data to executive management and regulators

As the carbon emissions regulatory framework continues to evolve, CEMS is becoming an increasingly popular tool to manage the carbon emissions lifecycle. The market will continue to mature and will most likely consolidate around major technology vendors and a smaller group of niche or vertical industry players, and CEMS products will become a functional component within many organizations’ application portfolio. Envirability has researched the CEMS market, and written a major report on the background to CEMS and how to select and implement a product. See www.cemsus.com

Resource Sources:

[i] Williams, E, (2004) Energy Intensity of Computer Manufacturing - Environmental Science and Technology, 38, 2004. Iowa City. IA, USA ACS Publications

[ii] www.epeat.net

[iii]  http://ewasteguide.info

[iv] Koomey, J.G. (2007) Estimating Total Power Consumption by Servers in the U.S. and the World Stanford CA, USA. Retrieved 13 January 2010 from

http://enterprise.amd.com/Downloads/svrpwrusecompletefinal.pdf

[v] Gantz, J. (2009), The Diverse and Expanding Digital Universe, Framingham MA, USA. IDC

[vi] www.corpgov.net

[vii] www.itgi.org

[viii] www.telework.gov

[ix] Philipson, G., Foster, P. and Brand, J. (2010) CEMS: A New Global Industry”, Sydney, Australia. Envirability.

Source:

Graham Philipson
Envirability

When it comes to e-mail, there is not a lot of things that shock me anymore.  I have seen inboxes with 28,000 e-mails in them. I have seen people who send e-mails to themselves to remind themselves that they need to action an e-mail already in their inbox. I have seen people who have given up and just deleted the lot!  But in a recent workshop on e-mail management at one of the big four banks, a participant shared how his team had been involved in a project to reduce the size (and therefore cost) of their mailboxes.  All of the support and maintenance for these was outsourced, so the costs involved were very tangible.  In the end, by decreasing the size of 100 mailboxes in the team, they have created a saving of $20,000 to $30,000 per year!  Staggering!  Imagine that across the broader organisation of 22,000 mailboxes.

That must be a drop in the ocean though, compared to the actual cost of e-mail in productivity terms.  Another recent conversation with a senior management team within a global financial institution uncovered the fact that these senior managers, who all wanted to spend more time with their people or working on strategic initiatives, were spending up to 5 hours per day just on e-mail.  They were drowning in a sea of CC’s, distribution lists and inbox noise.  And what about the cost of overfull and messy inboxes, the cost of searching for that critical but elusive e-mail you received last month, the cost of spending the first half-hour of the day deleting enough e-mail in response to the dreaded “Your mailbox is full” message.

E-mails cost time, and not just the recipient’s time, but also the sender’s time.  If the e-mail is internal the organisation may pay twice, if it is not adding value!  My goodness, I thought that e-mail was meant to be making us more productive.  The good news is though, it still can.  Although e-mail volumes have shot up for most workers, and become a large contributor to long hours and stress, it is still a fantastic way to communicate, and get information from A to B (or B, C,D and E all at once).  The trick to making e-mail work for you, rather than you working for it, is in understanding its traps and applying a set of principles to managing it.

The common e-mail traps and how to avoid them

E-mail is a core part of modern work life, and whilst it has improved the speed and efficiency of communication enormously, it comes with baggage attached (excuse the pun).  The common e-mail traps that I encounter with workers across the board are:

Making e-mail # 1 – E-mail has become our prime focus during the workday, and often outside of core work hours too.  We must remember that it is just a part of our role – a tube for getting information from one place to another.  It is not the main game, and not what we will be measured against come the end of the year.  We need to learn to make e-mail management a part of our day, to deal with it at regular intervals, and then to put it away to focus on our priorities and commitments. 

• Turn off e-mail alerts and alarms, they are just distractions from other work
• Check e-mail at regular intervals, between 3 and 6 times per day
• Check handheld e-mail devices at appropriate times, but turn off when it is time to focus

Too many e-mails – 30, 50, 100 per day and counting.  I recently worked with two poor souls who were getting over 1000 e-mails per day! Ridiculous!  Many feel that they cannot control what is sent to them, but with some concerted effort and creativity you can slash the deluge to a more manageable flow.

• Get off unnecessary distribution lists and e-mail subscription lists
• Discuss your expectations with your team about when and what to CC you on
• Set up e-mail rules to automatically delete or move (file) informational e-mails
• Send less e-mails (you will receive less as a result)

Overfull Inboxes – Messy, overfull and back-logged inboxes cause stress, delays, confusion and rework.  Many workers use their Inbox as a to-do list, and the act of checking e-mail is often an advanced form of procrastination.  The inbox ends up as an unruly mix of stuff you have not looked at yet mixed in with existing e-mails that need action, or should be deleted or filed. For the truly in-control e-mail manager, the Inbox is a delivery dock.  And just like the delivery dock of a supermarket, it should be cleared, to zero, weekly, if not daily.

• Set up a simple filing system (1 – 10 folders) to keep necessary e-mail

Poorly written e-mail – One of the stresses associated with e-mail is the irrational feeling that we need to respond to every e-mail.  We know this is not true, but it feels that way sometimes.  But, even with the percentage that we do need to respond to, time can be saved by learning to compose e-mails in a clear, efficient manner.  The clearer your e-mail is to the reader, the more cut-through you will have, and the more likely they are to action your e-mail in a timely way.  Remember, your e-mail for them is probably just one of 100 that day.

• Write clear subject lines with impact – most people scan, so stand out from the crowd
• State any actions required and due dates in the first line or two of the e-mail

In a world where time is money, and human resources account for the largest chunk of any organisations overheads, it seems a no-brainer to get better at managing the effect that e-mail has on our productivity.  Rather than organisations putting pressure on staff to work longer hours to get things done, why not focus on helping them make their core workday more productive.  The savings could be huge, and I promise you, everyone will be happier!

Source:
Dermot Crowley - Founder
Adapt Training

The Dharmesh Test is a quick, simple set of yes/no questions to gauge the likelihood of long-term success of a SaaS (Software as a Service) company.  It is inspired by the highly popular “Joel Test” for measuring software development teams.  [Disclosure: I am an angel investor in Joel’s company Stack Overflow]

Now, if you know me, and you know Joel, you know that I'm no Joel.  He's smarter and is a better writer.  So, why did I have the audacity to write the "Dharmesh Test"?  Because I'm passionate about SaaS companies and have spent the better part of the last 6 years studying them and learning from folks that should have written this article.  And, I've taken what I've learned and applied it to my own company, HubSpot -- which is doing very well and scores a respectable 13/16 on the test (yes, I've got work to do).

This is alpha Version 0.80 of this test.  Will be iterating on it based on community feedback.

The Dharmesh Test: 16 Questions For Better SaaS Companies

1. Is there exactly one version of your software that services all users?

Or stated differently, have you resisted the temptation to have custom code for an individual customer or small group of customers?  Ideally, in steady state, the same master code-base would be servicingall customers.  Any customizations are done through application configuration or via APIs and plugins.  If you have different versions running temporarily to test new versions with a subset of customers, that’s fine.

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Asia is the world’s hottest area of Internet growth, but the dynamics on the ground vary widely by nation.

Asia’s emerging markets are poised for explosive digital growth. The region’s two largest economies—China and India—already boast some 500 million Internet users, and we forecast nearly 700 million more will be added by 2015 (Exhibit 1). Other emerging Asian nations have the potential to grow at a similarly torrid pace. We estimate that within five years, this billion-plus user market may generate revenues of more than $80 billion in Internet commerce, access fees, device sales, and so forth

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The other day, I had the pleasure of meeting with Dr David Skellern - CEO of NICTA (National Information & Communications Technology Australia).

Since 2005 David has been working on the redevelopment of NICTA's DNA.

With over 600 staff, David is in the business of developing spin-offs. Their 5th spinout 'Cohesive Data' already has been gathering a lot of interest with technology that compresses xml - seriously.

To give an idea - Wikipedia could be reduced in download size by up to 90%.

All of this owned by 3 entrepreneurs who have been under the management of Raymond Wong from the University of NSW.

The road ahead looks valuable given the first spinout from NICTA is already in 750 million mobile phones and was last year formerly proved 'system correct' - which is a scientific achievement.

So what does it mean when you have all this success, with companies like IBM knocking on your door for introductions to your staff?

"Well, firstly you may lose a few staff. That has not been unusual with staff growing, moving, developing and invited to Stanford and the like."

But that is what NICTA is all about - encouraging the best and brightest to tackle problems and be challenged. This is a core theme of responsible leadership.

This has been where David has taken the focus - all staff are encouraged to tackle problems - social and world problems

People are pointed at problems, encouraged to be objective and consider:

"Is it going to work?" and "Is it copyable?"

If it's going to work and isn't easily copyable, then let's start considering the commercialisation prospects, which obviously involves the legal IP aspects.

Currently NICTA have about 270 PHD students. The level keeps changing, though all are introduced to the culture that encourages research via commercialisation. Research is encouraged for breakthroughs that will create commercial results.

So how does NICTA manage staff performance? Well, they have been continuosly improving their performance management system. This is combined with a bi-annual staff engagement survey. From there a roadmap is developed that provides annual set of activities with bottom up goals. A top down system also reviews as milestones are met.

It is much more about the qualitative than the quantitative analysis.

NICTA also trained 10 staff in TMS (Team Management Systems) so then they can oversee the future management of staff internally. This has been much more cost effective than training everyone in TMS which would have been unaffordable.

So what is the future?

Well, all staff are continuously recommended to search for opportunities to improve life on the planet. This is a highly engaging and motivating focus and will form the backdrop of all future management and team building and works exceptionally well with a predominantly younger workforce.

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