Expanding green IT

our building power costs," says Chandran.

"The initial cost of deploying the initiative was high. But, it resulted in a significant reduction in the operating expenses," he adds. "By rolling out power management tools, for instance, we have reduced power consumption by 26 percent."

And there's more. He says that virtual collaboration technologies like Live Meeting and Live Communication Server integrated with desktop video phones have helped reduce travel and communication costs and increase productivity. He estimates that these technologies have saved Wipro travel costs worth $250,000 (about Rs 1 crore).

At Wipro, says Chandran, energy efficiency has been identified as a key parameter for any technology rollout. With every location, the company saves approximately Rs 40 lakh a year in electricity costs alone. With virtualization and consolidation, the company is targeting a reduction in its server footprint by 3 percent, Chandran adds.

Buoyed by these results, Wipro has gone all out to endorse green IT, extending the initiative to its building infrastructure as well. "When we build new buildings, we focus on making them green buildings. In fact, we have received a US Green Building Council Certification for a building at Gurgaon and one at Kochi. All new buildings will meet US Green Building Council Certification norms," says Chandran.

This momentum is beginning to create new energies that are spawning their own initiatives. "We've reduced our energy consumption per capita by 13 percent over a six-year period starting from 2002. In the current year, while we already have targets for energy efficiency, we are recalibrating our plans in the light of our recently completed carbon base-lining exercise and our defined goals for carbon neutrality," says Badiga.

"We are continually seeking new areas to drive green IT. We look at innovating technologies that are coming up and see how we can use it in terms of having more integrated applications," says Giridhar.

Wipro believes that they have just commenced the journey towards ecological sustainability. "The scope and ambition of our charter is truly big. The Ecoeye charter goes beyond Wipro. It is a collaborative effort between our customers, suppliers and employees. We are also working on establishing a supply chain social environmental responsibility guidelines and work with suppliers to identify materials that will reduce the environmental impact of their products," says Chandran.

If green is to be truly sustainable, it's going to need that kind of environment-changing commitment. Fortunately, that's also the same kind of long-haul determination that cuts through hype.