The findings from Forrester Research are based on a survey of
124 IT operations and procurement professionals in North America
and Europe.
Technology vendors such as Advanced Micro Devices, Cisco, Dell,
EMC, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Intel and Sun Microsystems are investing
heavily in green initiatives such as energy-efficient servers, data
center power and cooling solutions, cleaner manufacturing, and
device recycling programs. But Forrester's research found that the
market is not buying green.
Forrester Senior Vice President Christopher Mines said: "We
heard two reasons why green matters: efficiency and corporate
responsibility. Most IT decision-makers told us that a green
purchase would only happen in the context of cost reduction. These
are hard-headed, ROI-driven business decisions."
One chief technology officer at a manufacturing company told
Forrester, "We would do green because it makes business sense, not
because it's green. It would have to show cost savings."
Forrester found that IT buyers want to hear more about vendors'
efforts to design and market more environmentally responsible
products and services. Only 15% of the IT professionals surveyed
said they have a high level of awareness of vendors' green
initiatives, and most said they were hearing little or nothing from
top-tier vendors about green solutions. Most respondents said they
expected green to impact their purchasing decisions in the
future.
"Technology marketers today will find increasingly receptive
audiences for green evangelism," said Mines. "Slowly, that
receptivity will translate into action on the part of enterprise IT
organisations."
