Green IT: what this concept is and how cybersecurity can benefit from it

Have you ever heard about Green IT? Although this term may seem odd, it actually refers to the adoption of sustainable practices and methodologies in the field of information technology, to ensure that computers, data centers, and telecommunications devices emit less carbon dioxide and consume a responsible amount of electricity. This is not a new concept — the subject was first discussed more than three decades ago — but it is one that is becoming increasingly important.

We all know that global warming and the greenhouse effect are direct results of the unrestrained emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the Earth's atmosphere and are critical in the agendas of governments and entities around the planet. Sustainability is the decade’s new buzzword, but we often forget that the machines we use every day in an increasingly connected world also play a huge role in the global emissions reduction agenda.

A 2018 survey by scientists at McMaster University in Canada found that the IT market represented just 1% of global CO2 production that year; however, it is projected that this number will jump to 14% by 2040 if the appropriate measures are put in place. Just for comparative purposes, in 2021, the entire transportation industry (considered extremely harmful due to the burning of fossil fuels by cars, trucks, and public transport vehicles) represents “only” 7% of global emissions.

The major problem is that the rapid digitization of services and the advent of new technologies (such as IoT and 5G networks) are taking place without due concern being given to these environmental issues.

Ecologically sustainable IT

Fortunately, the same technological advances that can transform IT into a true villain for the environment can also enable us to make more conscious use of the resources we have. With the developments in the cloud computing segment, for example, the possibility of working exclusively with virtualization is born. Major players in the market now make it possible to “rent” a virtual machine and use it to “stream” programs to your computer — making it more energy-efficient.

This means that, in the future, we will no longer have to worry about having fifty high-performance computers (which obviously use more electricity) in the office, as it will be possible to use simpler machines provided by remote servers to work in a virtualized environment. The state of California, USA, for example, has recently established strict rules that have removed many of the gaming notebooks that consumed too much energy from store shelves.

Of course, Green IT isn't just about energy efficiency. It is also directly related to the correct disposal of electronic waste, which forces companies to think twice before using infrastructure that have short lifecycles. Once again, legacy data centers, also called on-premise servers, are being replaced by infrastructure-as-a-service (or IaaS), which is more flexible, expansive, and easily adaptable to your needs.

And security?

You may not have realized it, but information security can benefit from Green IT. Virtualization, for example, is more than a solution to optimize the global energy consumption of production equipment, it also opens the door to a safer ecosystem, as virtual machines usually have integrated protection layers that are much more effective and simple than traditional endpoint security solutions — all without disrupting employees’ routines and productivity.

In fact, cloud computing offers several security advantages compared to on-premise servers, including invulnerability against physical risks (fires, floods, etc.), higher uptime rate, and greater protection against possible intrusions — of course, as long as these remote environments are properly configured by trained professionals. In the end, sustainability and cybersecurity can go hand-in-hand and work towards a better and more secure world.