Government urged to set example in 'green' IT

In order to show companies the way forward in using information technology (IT) to reduce carbon emissions, cabinet minister Gillian Merron has urged government departments to invest in 'green' IT systems such as VoIP.

Speaking at a European e-government conference in Lisbon, Ms Merron told public sector information officers to take responsibility for sustainable IT projects and set an example for the rest of the UK.

"We have a responsibility to set a positive example on the environment, so I am asking our IT leaders to work with industry to find new ways to improve the sustainability of government computer systems," she said.

"This doesn't just mean reducing the amount of electricity they use, but also looking at how they can be designed and built in ways that consume fewer materials and which make recycling easier."

Organisations ranging from governments to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have found that by increasing the number of employees who work from home they can lessen their carbon footprint due to the reduced pollution from workers' cars.

Homeworking is made a more viable proposition for companies who invest in secure VoIP and IP PBX systems to transfer calls via the web to employees outside of the office without compromising on security.

Posted on: 2007-09-27, in: General VoIP

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