Reducing operating costs is the biggest motivator for change
Uninterruptible Power Supplies has announced the results of its latest industry survey – revealing that rising power costs and increasing environmental legislation are considered to be amongst the biggest challenges to the UK IT industry.
The survey, which questioned influential UK based IT and data centre professionals, on the issue of power and the environment, revealed 80.3% believe rising power costs are a 'major concern to their business', with 73.5% concerned that increasing environmental legislation also represents a 'significant challenge'.
Furthermore, the survey uncovered that when it comes to purchasing capital equipment, 81.6% view energy efficiency as the most significant consideration, with 75.6% of those questioned already having a carbon reduction policy in place. However, when questioned on their motivating factors for change, the most popular reply was 'reducing operational costs'. 62.7% of respondents claimed curtailing overheads was their primary driver, compared to only 26.9% citing environmental considerations as the biggest motivating factor.
David Renton, UPSL Managing Director, commented: "I think this survey has revealed some very interesting, if not wholly surprising, statistics.
It demonstrates that despite the increasing need to be environmentally responsible, these considerations are still playing second fiddle to keeping a tight control on operating costs. With the price of energy rising every year, combined with increasing material costs and constant technological developments, many businesses are having a hard time keeping IT departments within budget and savings are having to be made in every area.
"The need to be environmentally responsible has never been greater and the introduction of schemes such as the carbon reduction commitment (CRC) only further demonstrates the direction that things are moving in.
Few would underestimate the importance of reducing emissions, however, from these findings at least, reducing an organisation's environmental impact is today still simply a welcome benefit of cutting costs. Energy prices will likely continue to rise and therefore operational investment in highly efficient technology represents one of the few ways of keeping escalating IT costs at bay."
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