Wipro's Green Information Technologies - Case Study Example

GREEN IT AT WIPRO Insert Name Insert Institution Word Count: 1430 Question 1 Green Initiative by Wipro It has consolidated and scaled down the amount of energy used by its data centres and servers. This has reduced the amount of energy it takes from the ecosystem and eventually reduced its energy costs. The servers were growing at an exponential rate leading to an increase in energy consumption. The data centre moved from the non-green module to a green module that does not need energy for cooling hence reduction for energy consumed. In 2005, the company embarked on programs of tackling e waste in the company through process of achieving ISO 14001 certification. It further developed programs for collection of discarded materials by the customers and disposing in an environmentally friendly way (WIPRO, 2009). Later in 2007, the company became the first Indian company to introduce effectively eco friendly desktops and laptop computers .These introductions lead to establishment and development of environmentally friendly computers with the main aim of reductions in e waste. Its new products were labelled Green Ware and were compliant with regulations of European nations on Hazardous Substances directive. In 2008 the company became a member of Green Grid ,a consortium with global representation and targeting advancement of energy efficiency in computing ecosystems and data centres .The company developed another program referred to as Eco Eye that targets ecological sustainability in all its operational and activities and integrating its shareholders. Generally, the adoption of energy saving mechanisms by the company lead to increased efficiency of its operations. This reduced amounts of energy consumed and costs of electricity usage by 26% having positive influence on the limited natural resources in the ecosystem. Question 2 Challenges and Benefits of Green Computing at Wipro Initiating the process had a lot of financial strain on the company. Change of the infrastructure demanded an investment of Rs.6 million that was a large revenue of the company. Involving of employees and the shareholders to participate fully and comprehensively in the program was a demanding and comprehensive program. The company invested a lot of restructuring, human resource to reinvent is systems, and production processes to be able to handle and adhere to green production and operations strategies. Benefits of green Computing The main course of alarm for the company was to develop initiatives that are environmentally friendly and leading to ecological sustainability. It achieved these and its programs and social environmental responsibility achieved these objectives comprehensively. In the process of developing and establishing green IT, the company saved about 1 million Kilowatt of power annually by reducing its servers from 1000 to 400.Power consumption of the company reduced by 26 % hence saving many environmental resources and leading to sustainable use of ecological resources. Question 3 Lessons to other Organizations The ecologically sustainable industrial processes are expensive to install and the process of restructuring is prolonged and demanding the input of the entire organizations. All the parties ranging from customers, shareholders, management and employees need to be informed of the programs and plans of the organization to develop green mechanisms. Efficient and fully functional green management operations lead to profits and sustainable use of the ecological resources at the disposal of the company. These definitely lead to reduction for resources input into the industrial processes. Companies should learn that sustainable energy use leads to safer environments and increase profits to the organization by reduction in the amounts paid for the energy consumed in the process of production. Question four Driving of Green computing Green computing is advantageous to both the IT vendors and the consumers. Both parties gain from programs of green computing since the gains are actually universal and mutually dependent on the operations of one of the parties. Programs of green computing have to be initiated by the vendors and producers of computers through the kinds of models they develop. The models developed and accompanying social responsibility programs would support the entire green computing process. The vendors need to develop sustainable programs of green computing which in cooperate the consumers and form the initial stages of green computing. The consumers have to embrace programs and processes that encourage and nurture the green computing programs. The cooperate customers are the end users of the programs and the ultimate reason for design of the products hence they must fully participate in the design processes of green computing so as to enable social acceptance of the project. IT and Carbon Emissions It uses raw materials with carbon as the components of the constituent materials hence when degraded lead to release of carbon into the atmosphere. The world of today is in an IT age hence there are numerous electronic devises in supply all over the world. Electronics get disposed into the environment and are releasing carbon into the global ecosystem. IT has increased the amount of carbon emissions into the ecosystem and the progress in use will definitely lead to increased pollution from this source. They equally use energy hence increasing combustion of fuels that release Carbon Dioxide into the global ecosystem and result in Pollution. The sector produces 3 percent of the global carbon. It is integrated with other sectors of energy and waste products from the materials used in the IT sector like raw materials for development of products like computer parts and electronic elements. The greatest culprits in this sector are the electronic producers due to the wastes generated by their products. Electronics equally continuously consume energy from the ecosystem and a lot of wastes in form of carbon are released into the ecosystem heightening global carbon emissions. Energy supplies contribute to 26 % of the global carbon emission hence form a bulk of the global carbon pollution source. WIPRO’S carbon Accounting Tool The tools include identification and management of Green House Gases with aim of reduction, complying with standards and regulations of government in relation to energy efficiency and carbon emissions and participation in carbon markets for trading. The carbon accounting tool is a solution that helps the company to develop environmentally and socially responsible measures for the management and reduction of the risks of Green House Gases in the ecosystem. Some of the tools used at Wipro include trading programs, carbon or energy taxes, voluntary programs and implementation of regulations and standards of energy consumption. The use of these tools by companies would lead to efficiency and sustainable use of ecosystem resources leading to reduction of environmental and resource degradation. Companies that can apply these tools would definitely gain profits in their operations and their processes would be sustainable and environmentally conscious (IGEL, March,2010). Carbon Credits and their Use by Wipro Carbon credit is a term that permits an organization to emit a tonne of carbon dioxide or an equal amount of alternative green house gas into the atmosphere at a certain payable rate .Carbon credits and carbon markets are mitigation measures by national and international entities for the management of amounts of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. WIPRO is having programs that mitigate and absorb carbon dioxide from the environment like tree plantations making the air clean. The company participate in the carbon credit trade by selling percentages of shares to other companies hence it gains revenue. Green Initiatives by IBM, HP and Microsoft IBM has long-standing voluntary relationships with governments, on governmental organizations and industry in environmental leadership issues. It participated in the Electronic Products Environmental Assessment Tool; it has partnership with California department of Toxic substances Control and EPA project for developing lead free solders (IBM, 2011). HP has programs that encourage recycling and recollection of its wastes and electronics. This leads to reduction of the dumped electronic wastes. Recycling of hardware in 1987 and has recovered 2.3 pounds of products for reuse in the global market. (HP, 2012). Microsoft has been on the forefront of environmental safety and greening of the global ecosystem. It has programs in different countries in Africa and Asia that major on reforestation of degraded forests and fragile ecosystems. Microsoft has an initiative in which all companies including data centres, air travel, software development labs and office buildings will go carbon neutral (Microsoft, 2012). References HP. (2012). Environmental Programs at HP. Retrieved September 09, 2012, from 2012 Best Global Green Brand: http://www8.hp.com/us/en/hp information/environment/index.html IBM. (2011). Voluntary Environmental Initiatives. Retrieved September 09, 2012, from IBM: http://www.ibm.com/ibm/environment/initiatives/ IGEL. (March,2010). Green Evolution:Managing the Risks and Reaping the Benefits. Pennyslavania: Wharton University of Pennyslavania Press. Microsoft. (2012). Ars technica. Retrieved September 09, 2012, from Microsoft Goes green:http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2012/05/microsoft-goes-green data-centers-offices-to-be-carbon-neutral-come-july/ WIPRO. (2009). Ethical and Social Issues of Information Technology. Read More