Virtual servers could save the planet

An IT expert from Microsoft has postulated that Irish businesses might install new computing technology to help shrink their carbon footprint.

IT expert Bill O’Brien said that at the moment there are over 100,000 servers being used by Irish businesses, with an extra 35,000 expected to be installed every year. According to O’Brien, servers have a high level of detrimental impact on the environment.

To reduce these effects, O’Brien suggests that Irish businesses switch to virtual servers. Such a switch would also be good for employer’s budgets, with the potential to reduce annual energy spending in Ireland by over €50 million.

O’Brien said that virtualisation is likely to “make a real and significant contribution by offsetting carbon emissions by over 2 million tonnes and reducing cost to businesses from €56 million per year to just over €3.5 million per year.

“We’ve seen customers virtualise 16 machines down to one machine - there is opportunity there to ensure massive consolidation and make savings in terms of cooling and more efficient servers.”

“This is a hot area right now and offers a lot to business’ bottom line and capability.”

A recent UK report found that the IT sector in the country has a carbon footprint comparable to the size of the aviation industry footprint. The report recommends that businesses use more efficient methods for storing data.