Enterprises are missing cost-effective sustainable IT opportunities, according to new research from analyst firm Gartner.
The survey of 200 senior leaders from North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific found many companies overlook cheaper initiatives despite pursuing sustainable projects.
Less than 30% of organisations adopt the most cost-effective IT practices, the survey found.
Gartner's VP analyst, Kristin Moyer, noted progress but emphasised the need for better strategies.
She said: “The survey found that executive leaders have completed an average of nine sustainable IT initiatives in the categories of data centres and cloud, digital workplace, data, and software.
“However, sustainable IT adoption patterns show that executives might not always be implementing the most cost-effective initiatives.”
The study found 64% of executives lack necessary emissions data from vendors. Key underutilised actions include optimising uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) and cooling systems in data centres
“Executive leaders should right-size their UPS(s) based on current and future capacity requirements, which helps increase efficiency and cost savings,” said Moyer.
“Enhanced cooling systems like immersion cooling, passive cooling and direct-to-chip cooling are also underutilised and can drive significant water reduction and mitigate GHG emissions.”
