Seems green is the new black in enterprise (especially data center) tech.
The din of coverage we have seen – and companies looking to be pitched as green solutions – is becoming deafening.
Does that mean that a green shakeout is in the works? Or that Green Tech will soon enter the Gartner Trough of Disillusionment? If so, it could be an extended trough – how many thousands of years is global warming supposed to be happening over?
Well, anyway, unlike other tech fads, green solutions do look beyond immediate (and more “superficial”) corporate goals of productivity, profit, market share etc. As such there is an inherent feel good component – no question, the good opportunity to be a media darling (it is not always just the bad news that sells).
But as one somewhat cynical client asked: do most IT managers really care about this? Are there really corporate mandates to embrace green technology, and as such will related media coverage set the inbound sales phones jingling?
All good questions.
I think the pitches and the clients that will stand out are not the ones where there are gratuitous (read: slapped on) green components, but where you can argue significant power, space and waste savings. These usually translate to cost advantages (or TCO, more accurately), which helps cover bases for those who are more bottom line (and to the right on the political spectrum) oriented.
