Survey Reveals Green IT Challenges in Manufacturing Sector
64% of manufacturers plan to reduce carbon footprint in next 18 months
82% have IT systems in place to encourage employees to work remotely
61% do not know how much power their data centre draws
21% have no intention of reducing their carbon footprint
A survey of IT managers in the manufacturing sector, commissioned by distributor Zycko, revealed over half (54%) feel under pressure to reduce energy consumption in their data centres and 64% plan to reduce their carbon emissions in the next 18 months. However 61% do not know how much power their data centre draws, and 21% have no plans in place to reduce their carbon emissions in the future - a significantly higher figure than those for the finance (5%) and retail (7%) industries.
The independent research, conducted on behalf of Zycko by Vanson Bourne, provided a detailed overview of the green IT challenges currently faced by the manufacturing sector, and identified some of the hurdles on the way to reducing their carbon emissions. While 82% indicated they have green policies in place to enable employees to work remotely to reduce transport costs and emissions, just over half (54%) enforce shutting down of computers at night and on weekends. Cost and lack of resources were the biggest barriers to improving companies' green credentials, cited by 61% of respondents, followed by lack of knowledge of options available (21%). David Galton-Fenzi, Zycko's Group Sales Director, comments: "In most cases implementing greener IT measures inevitability result in cost savings. This coupled with the fact that the UK manufacturing sector is currently suffering from the effects of the global downturn makes a compelling case for addressing inefficiency in the data centre."
IT managers in this sector get their information on environmental issues from their ouwn research (71%), the media (61%) and colleagues and suppliers (39% each). David Galton-Fenzi continues: "Contrary to popular belief, addressing power inefficiencies does not require an army of staff and hefty IT budget. Often, the solution lies not in building more data centres, or even in expanding current sites, but rather in utilising existing space more efficiently. Already available solutions enable servers to be powered on and off, heat and cooling to be monitored, and power delivery to be examined and adjusted. As we see more IT managers in this sector working with their suppliers to implement such systems, the benefits will be both financial and environmental."
ENDS
About Zycko:
Zycko is a value-add distributor of best-in-class convergent IT infrastructure solutions through a channel of resellers, systems integrators and service providers.
Zycko is privately held and has been profitable since inception in 2000, when the company's original charter was to market data networking accessories to resellers as a wholesale distributor. Zycko now employs 250 staff, serving over 3,000 resellers around the world from twelve offices on four continents. The company enjoys an annual turnover of more than $180m.
Zycko's provision of best-in-class IT products and logistics management is supported by true value-add professional services - such as pre-sales expertise, technical support, custom configuration, an industry leading accredited training program, and marketing support. These vital services and support enable our customers to quickly deliver profits and invest in new market opportunities, allowing them to differentiate in a crowded market. Zycko is the channel partner of choice.
Zycko's strategic partner base includes world-class companies such as Avago, Asigra, Edgewater, Epicenter, Hitachi Data Systems, Intransa, Isilon, LSI, OnStor, Powerdsine, Riverbed, Usystems, Zeus, Force10, SNOM, LifeSize and Virtual Iron.
82% have IT systems in place to encourage employees to work remotely
61% do not know how much power their data centre draws
21% have no intention of reducing their carbon footprint
A survey of IT managers in the manufacturing sector, commissioned by distributor Zycko, revealed over half (54%) feel under pressure to reduce energy consumption in their data centres and 64% plan to reduce their carbon emissions in the next 18 months. However 61% do not know how much power their data centre draws, and 21% have no plans in place to reduce their carbon emissions in the future - a significantly higher figure than those for the finance (5%) and retail (7%) industries.
The independent research, conducted on behalf of Zycko by Vanson Bourne, provided a detailed overview of the green IT challenges currently faced by the manufacturing sector, and identified some of the hurdles on the way to reducing their carbon emissions. While 82% indicated they have green policies in place to enable employees to work remotely to reduce transport costs and emissions, just over half (54%) enforce shutting down of computers at night and on weekends. Cost and lack of resources were the biggest barriers to improving companies' green credentials, cited by 61% of respondents, followed by lack of knowledge of options available (21%). David Galton-Fenzi, Zycko's Group Sales Director, comments: "In most cases implementing greener IT measures inevitability result in cost savings. This coupled with the fact that the UK manufacturing sector is currently suffering from the effects of the global downturn makes a compelling case for addressing inefficiency in the data centre."
IT managers in this sector get their information on environmental issues from their ouwn research (71%), the media (61%) and colleagues and suppliers (39% each). David Galton-Fenzi continues: "Contrary to popular belief, addressing power inefficiencies does not require an army of staff and hefty IT budget. Often, the solution lies not in building more data centres, or even in expanding current sites, but rather in utilising existing space more efficiently. Already available solutions enable servers to be powered on and off, heat and cooling to be monitored, and power delivery to be examined and adjusted. As we see more IT managers in this sector working with their suppliers to implement such systems, the benefits will be both financial and environmental."
ENDS
About Zycko:
Zycko is a value-add distributor of best-in-class convergent IT infrastructure solutions through a channel of resellers, systems integrators and service providers.
Zycko is privately held and has been profitable since inception in 2000, when the company's original charter was to market data networking accessories to resellers as a wholesale distributor. Zycko now employs 250 staff, serving over 3,000 resellers around the world from twelve offices on four continents. The company enjoys an annual turnover of more than $180m.
Zycko's provision of best-in-class IT products and logistics management is supported by true value-add professional services - such as pre-sales expertise, technical support, custom configuration, an industry leading accredited training program, and marketing support. These vital services and support enable our customers to quickly deliver profits and invest in new market opportunities, allowing them to differentiate in a crowded market. Zycko is the channel partner of choice.
Zycko's strategic partner base includes world-class companies such as Avago, Asigra, Edgewater, Epicenter, Hitachi Data Systems, Intransa, Isilon, LSI, OnStor, Powerdsine, Riverbed, Usystems, Zeus, Force10, SNOM, LifeSize and Virtual Iron.
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