1. Dummies for Green IT --By Doug Mohney

    Views and Opinions on Green IT (Nov 17 2009) Carbon Footprint , Emissions

    1. Dummies for Green IT --By Doug Mohney

      Yes Virginia, there is a "Dummies" book for Green IT

       Green IT for Dummies doesn't break any rules out of "For Dummies" tried and tested formula, other than a couple of splashes of green on the on the front of back of the loud yellow color.  On the other hand, it does provide a lot of clue if you are starting from ground zero in building a plan to going green in your data center.

       Resist the urge to skip the first chapter – "Win-Win-Winning with Green IT" – it may be a bit too rah-ray for some, but there are a number of interesting pointers to more information and factoids that will provide useful.  For example, some college grads will accept $13,000 less in lower starting salary to work for/on Green IT initiatives; you have to love being able to save the planet while saving money on a new hire.

       The real fun starts in "Part II: Getting a Running Start," with a discussion on standards and metrics and areas to look for efficiencies, and carbon reduction options before heading to what I'd consider the most important chapter: "Go to Green in 12 Months: Putting Together a Plan."   The authors talk through the office politics of initiating a green strategy, establishing a baseline for measuring success, and options to move forward to improving one's green-ness.

       "Part III: Greening the Data Center" may be a little simplistic for most IT people – but read it anyways, because your boss or his boss is likely going to study it for green clues. The section provides a thorough walkthrough of everything that might contribute to a greener data center, ranging from building on a "brown field" industrial site to slimming down your data storage needs and getting rid of tapes.

       Latter parts -- "Greening the Office" and "Greening the Organization" will not be for everyone, but if your organization has a corporate-wide mandate to promote green practices, then discussions on reducing desktop energy waste and moving to practices/technologies such as videoconferencing and telecommuting are relevant.

       Of course, the bittersweet irony of Green IT for Dummies is the fact that it's about 360 pages of paper that have been printed and shipped to sit in libraries and bookshelves across the country. In a more green world, we'd pick up the electronic copy through an email. 

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    Recent Comments


    Reply Permalink
    On 11/23/09 judgecorp said:
    "Thanks for an interesting link. Electronic copies probably are more green, especially on shipping costs, but they are a lot less readable.

    I see that Green IT for Dummies - by a team including analyst Carol Baroudi of the Aberdeen Group - is available in the UK from <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Green-Dummies-Carol-Baroudi/dp/0470386886/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258966320&sr=8-1">Amazon</a>.

    Another book worth looking for - which has a free electronic version - is <a href="http://www.withouthotair.com/">"Without Hot Air"</a> by Daivd McKay. It's just on green energy, not IT, but puts things into context better than anything else I've seen.

    By the way, this is not the only Green IT for Dummies on the planet. Hewlett-Packard produced one, with the Wiley "Dummies" packaging, which is available free <a href="http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/globalcitizenship/environment/productdesign/greenit4dummies.html">here</a>. The HP version is only 30 pages long, with content produced by David Tebbutt and other analysts from Freeform Dynamics.

    "
    Reply Permalink
    On 3/13/10 NickS said:
    "Thanks a lot for the review. It seems to be useful. I also found nice books in IT for Dummies at rapidshare SE http://rapidpedia.com ."

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