皇冠体育app

Economy

Shanghai forum explores green IT solutions for 皇冠体育app

By Matthew Fulco (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-11-11 15:03

SHANGHAI – The American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai and 皇冠体育app Cleantech Focus held the Green IT Forum Tuesday to explore how companies in 皇冠体育app can optimize sustainable information technology solutions.

The forum addressed developing and implementing a green IT strategy in 皇冠体育app and opportunities in cloud computing, a technology that provides access to applications like Gmail directly from the Internet without installation. Cloud computing saves energy by centralizing storage, memory, processing and bandwidth.

Speakers at the forum included IT leaders from the 皇冠体育app offices of General Electric, Cisco Systems, Standard Chartered and Microsoft.

One of the major issues discussed was reducing paper consumption.

David Lynch, CIO of Standard Chartered 皇冠体育app, emphasized that much paper consumption in the PRC is driven by regulatory requirements.

It would be possible within 5 or 6 years for Standard Chartered to be nearly paper-free, but would require active engagement with Chinese authorities and regulators, he added.

Matt Taylor, Epicor Regional Director of 皇冠体育app and Korea, suggested centralizing control of company printing to reduce paper use and loss of intellectual property.

Taylor also mentioned that smartphones and tablet devices could be energy-saving tools, substituting for laptops and cutting down on paper use.

Benson Han, CIO of General Electric’s 皇冠体育app Technology Center, agreed.

"The iPad significantly reduces my need to print," he said.

Another of the forum’s principal topics was cloud computing, which enjoys strong backing from the Chinese government. In October, the Shanghai Cloud Computing Innovation Center was launched, marking the start of a 200 million yuan (US$29.9 million) government-funded, five-year investment plan. The center aims to attract 300 cloud-related businesses by 2015, and put Shanghai at the forefront of cloud computing innovation in 皇冠体育app.

"The government is figuring out how to use cloud computing in the most effective way possible for 皇冠体育app,” said Jim Ni, Sr. Program Manager of Microsoft 皇冠体育app’s Server and Tools Business in Shanghai. “They are picking up the best technologies."

As companies in 皇冠体育app learn how to manage virtualized environments, they will begin to see economies of scale and a decrease in power and operating costs, he added.

Microsoft announced in September the opening of its own cloud innovation center in Shanghai.

"We’re excited to see how we can help Chinese clients migrate towards cloud," said Ni. “We’re building a dedicated lab for them where they can go to try out these new technologies.”

Overall, the prospects for green technology in 皇冠体育app look promising, said Eric Schmidt, President of the CEBEX Group and 皇冠体育app Cleantech Focus.

"The pace of business moves so rapidly in 皇冠体育app that companies typically replace their IT systems every few years," he said.

"If they are going to gut the system, it makes sense to implement something that is energy efficient and keeps costs down."

Being green also helps Chinese companies listing abroad attract investment, Schmidt added.