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It's not enough to deal with widespread security threats from every angle, new technology around every bend, and internal user expectations and perceptions, now IT executives need to put "energy manager" in their job description.

A recent Information Week article "CIOs Uncensored," explores the question of where the buck stops in the enterprise when it comes to blame for high energy costs. The article shares this:

"The survey, by a U.K. firm called 1E, which sells software and services for managing Windows-based PCs and servers, and conducted by Harris Corp., found that 154 executives in the United States identify C-level executives as those responsible for their companies' energy usage.

Across the board, the greatest proportion of the executives, who were interviewed last March and April, point to the CEO as the energy (32 percent) czar. The CIO comes in second, with 15 percent of the vote.

However, things get more interesting when companies are broken out by size.

"In larger companies, the greatest proportion of executives (21 percent) report the CIO as most responsible for managing power consumption," according to a statement on the survey from 1E. At those companies the CEO was identified as the energy maven by 18 percent of the surveyed executives."

It is an article worth catching your eye. As the cost of everything spikes with the runaway cost of fuel, every good or service that relies on fuel for production, delivery, or use (and what doesn't?) rises also. This means that the fixed costs associated with keeping the lights on and the servers humming and properly cooled keep rising exponentially as well. In a cost-sensitive, recession-minded business environment at present, it is a big deal. And, who better to blame than the CIO or IT managers that are responsible for technology that requires a great deal in the way of energy to do its thing.

Lowering energy costs can be good not only for the bottom line but also for the environment. What company wouldn't want to be able to reduce its carbon footprint and then let people know about it? Less energy used means a win-win for all. What can you do to maximize energy efficiency when it comes to your IT infrastructure? Consider some of the following areas.

Data Center Design

Whether you are building a new data center or revamping the one you already have, consider the balancing act of storage demands versus cooling. A great deal of energy cost goes into keeping these powerful machines cool so they operate optimally particularly in times of extreme weather. Imagine what it takes to cool rack after rack of hardware on these not too uncommon 100+ degree summer days.

Don't leave data center design to the facility folks (as tradition has dictated) as they typically do not truly understand the needs and challenges of the equipment. Participate actively in design and investigate the latest and greatest in green and low-energy solutions. Design your layout in a way that is most conducive to cooling efficiency.

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