Nemertes Impact Analysis:

IBM's Green IT Initiatives Underscores Enterprise Focus on Carbon Emissions

IBM announces the Green Sigma Coalition. Green Sigma is IBM's application of Lean Six Sigma quality and efficiency principles to manage the enterprise carbon footprint, including green data center power, cooling and operations. Initially, Cisco (NASDAQ:CSCO) and IBM (NYSE:IBM) are the only data center IT vendor members. For credibility, the coalition must cast a wider IT vendor net. The Green Sigma Coalition underscores Nemertes' finding carbon footprint reduction is the prime sustainability metric for 36.4% of organizations that have a sustainability policy, according to participants in Nemertes' sustainable data center benchmark research. Return on investment (ROI) is second with 27.3% of organizations.

Impacts:

Enterprise: A data center carbon footprint plan starts with metrics for power, cooling and operational efficiency. Lean six sigma provides a good template for developing, implementing and tracking these metrics.

Vendors: Brocade (NASDAQ:BRCD), EMC (NYSE:EMC), HP (NYSE:HPQ), Juniper (NASDAQ:JNPR) and NetApp (NASDAQ:NTAP) could add to the coalition significant vendor neutrality.

Investors: Raising awareness of data center carbon footprint will raise awareness of relevant startups, including: privately held GDCM,SensaTronics. Modius, and Verisae.

Ted Ritter, senior research analyst

http://www.nemertes.com/ongoing_research/nemertes_ongoing_research_spring_2009_research_benchmark_computing_and_communications
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Green-IT/IBM-Launches-New-WideRanging-Green-IT-Initiatives-687190/?kc=rss

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