-eWEEK Europe UK launches new live and interactive events channel with opening debate on ‘Green Wash vs Green Backs’-

eWEEK Europe UK, www.eweekeurope.co.uk, the online publication designed for the new era of IT, has launched a new live events channel on the webcast platform, BrightTalk.

The publication is expanding its use of live events, and the Live Events channel brings together all of its webseminars, panel debates and interactive Q&A sessions. It will create a regular programme on sustainable IT issues, the first of which was a session on the economics of green IT. 

Held on Thursday 19th November, the first session was entitled: ‘Is the green movement really about the environment, or saving money?’ Attendees included: Peter Judge, eWEEK Europe UK editor (panel chair), Dr Peter Waggett, emerging technology programme leader at IBM, Steve O’Donnell, managing director at Enterprise Strategy Group, and Pip Squire, engineering director from Ark Community.

The panel discussed the themes of the green data centre movement, how green IT has evolved, and whether green IT will become cheaper. The session involved audience interaction, where attendees could pose questions to the experts, and also cast their votes in an online poll. Responses to the questions were as follows:

Question 1: Is the green data centre movement about saving the environment or money?

Response:

• Both – 63 percent
• Money – 25 percent
• The environment – 13 percent

Question 2: To what extent have green issues been a major factor in purchasing decisions?

Response:

• Not a consideration – 56 percent
• Important – 44 percent

Question 3: Will green technology be cheaper? What will drive companies to adopt green data centre technology in the future?

Response:

• Regulation – 67 percent
• Cost savings – 22 percent
• Other – 11 percent
 
Commenting on the webinar and the interactive poll findings, Peter Judge, editor of eWEEK Europe UK, said: “This was an interesting panel debate, and the poll findings added a completely new dimension. Clearly, the IT sector appreciates that the green movement is about saving both the environment and money. But, more interestingly, I came away with impression that IT departments will reluctantly become greener, because it will – inevitably – cost money, and they will feel pushed as a result of regulatory compliance.”

In December 2009, a webinar on interoperability, will address the potential for making Windows and Linux work together in a data centre. Both operating systems are rapidly gaining ground in IT facilities, while virtualisation is placing them on the same hardware, making it essential that they work together. Further details on the Green Wash or Green Backs webinar can be found at: http://www.eweekeurope.co.uk/news/green-data-centres-wait-for-regulations--2516, and it is also available for playback on the live events channel.