Rob DiGiovanni-Article 2

The article I read came from ComputerWorld titled “How Raytheon’s IT Department Helps Meet Green Goals.” Raytheon is a technology and innovation leader who specializes in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. The article talks about how Raytheon used green IT strategy to achieve its goal of reducing energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impacts. Sustainable or “green” IT is a term used to describe the manufacture, management, use and disposal of information technology in a way that minimizes damage to the environment.
In my opinion, it is very important for companies like Raytheon who produce industrial goods to be concerned about the environment. These types of companies give off many harmful toxins when their products are manufactured. As a result to this, a major concern in the world has been global warming and it’s our job as a society to be more responsible and find ways to conserve energy. I think the government will eventually have to impose limits on carbon emissions, so that the environment doesn’t get in too bad of shape. Although IT helps companies operate, it also uses a lot of energy and research has shown that power consumption by computers accounts for 2% of the global carbon dioxide emissions. Luckily, there are many ways in which IT can make operations greener for any kind of business. Technologists can help reduce the amount of paper employee’s use for printing and install tracking systems to measure plant emissions. IT systems can also help save energy by regulating heat and air conditioning in office buildings.
Raytheon has long pursued environmental initiatives. It has adopted PC power software management software which reduces energy waste by powering down machines when they aren’t in use. They have also virtualized many of their servers which have enabled them to avoid building a major data center which reduced power and cooling costs. These functions are significant technologies that have helped Raytheon operate more efficiently through energy management and have helped the environment in the process. Basically, the benefits of using green IT can help an organization and the environment at the same time, so it is in the best interest for companies to go “green”. Simply, reminding IT staff to shut down their PC’s turn off lights, and using recycled materials can make a huge impact.
I believe that the advantages of green IT are more beneficial than if a company were not to make the necessary sacrifices. In reality, going green actually saves organizations money in the short run because a company can reduce the amount of travel and commuting of individuals and just have more video conferencing. Also, a company could try and use less paper by using email on a more frequent basis. Another advantage of green IT is that your company will get a good reputation of being environmentally friendly and not just a technology-focused program. I think more companies should make the effort and try to operate in a way that conserves energy and helps the environment.