NASSCOM's 'Green IT' initiative action plan to be issued next month

NASSCOM, the premier trade body and ‘voice’ of the Indian IT-BPO industry today shared an update on its Green IT Initiative. The NASSCOM Green IT Committee’s three working groups on ‘Green Infrastructure’, ‘Policy & Regulatory Framework ‘and ‘Green Warriors’ have identified best practices in these areas and are expected to finalise a detailed action plan by March 2009 for the industry.

The initiative is presided over by Mr Ganesh Natarajan (Chairman NASSCOM) as Chairperson Ms Laura Ipsen (Senior Vice President, Global Policy and Government Affairs, Cisco Systems, Inc) as co-chairperson. The working groups have representation from IT industry firms, non-IT industry firms, Government agencies and institutions specialising in environment sustainability.

The NASSCOM Green IT initiative is holistic and focuses on the following areas:

• Make IT Green: Adoption by industry of green technologies and practices including green buildings, green computing infrastructure (energy efficient data centers, power efficient computers etc.) sharing infrastructure (shared data centres etc)  and addressing issues like e-waste management.
• Make Green Happen Through IT: Deploy IT solutions  which help firms & businesses become green including like cloud computing, video-conferencing, intelligent transport systems, web-conferencing, motion and heat detection sensors among others.
• Make Green Warriors: Encourage the over 2 million employees of the IT-BPO industry to adopt a Green life-style and thereby become change agents to create a sustainable impact in the society around themselves through increasing awareness and more importantly changing behaviors.

According to Mr. Som Mittal, President NASSCOM, “Climate sustainability is perhaps the biggest challenge facing mankind today. Becoming reen is no longer a choice for firms, Government or individuals. The ubiquity of IT today, makes IT a powerful catalyst for providing systemic solutions for a green world. The NASSCOM Green IT initiative focuses on not only making the IT industry green but also propagate the transformational role IT can play in making other businesses green. In fact, ‘Green IT’ is one of the key focus areas for ILF this year. The Indian IT industry has been at the forefront of many transformational initiatives and I am sure it will play a very important role in creating a more sustainable environment not only in India but also across the increasingly flat world we live in today.”

In the near future, NASSCOM plans to initiate a major research project on Green IT in the context of India and also undertake a series of activities to raise awareness on it within and outside the IT industry. Apart from its members, NASSCOM also intends to continue vigorously to engage and partner with firms and institutions outside the IT industry in order to create a ‘Web of Collaboration’.

According to Mr. Rajdeep Sahrawat, Vice President NASSCOM, “Green IT is no longer somebody else’s problem. For Green IT to achieve a sustainable impact, companies need to transform their approach towards it from ‘obligation’ to ‘opportunity’. In other words, companies should use IT pro-actively to transform into “Green” businesses rather than only focusing on making IT infrastructure, and products “Green”. Smart grids, intelligent transport systems, motion and heat detection sensors, smart buildings, intelligent machines which can be maintained remotely are not science fiction but illustrations of real-life opportunities today. Green IT provides tremendous opportunities for ‘blue sky’ innovation and firms who seize early advantage will reap first mover advantage while others will merely follow the curve. Green credentials are already becoming evaluation criteria and thus creating green solutions will enable firms to differentiate themselves in an increasingly commoditized market.”

About NASSCOM
NASSCOM (www.nasscom.in) is India's National Association of Software and Service Companies, the premier trade body and the chamber of commerce of the IT software and services industry in India. NASSCOM is a global trade body with over 1200 members, of which over 250 are global companies from the US, UK, EU, Japan and China. NASSCOM's member companies are in the business of software development, software services, software products, IT-enabled/BPO services and e-commerce. NASSCOM has been the strongest proponent of global free trade in India.

NASSCOM is committed to work proactively to encourage its members to adopt world class management practices, build and uphold highest quality standards and become globally competitive. In India and around the world, NASSCOM members are participants in the new global economy and are reputed for their cutting-edge business practices and social initiatives.