Have you spent much time wondering about green computing? No, it is not taking your iPad with you to the Irish pub on St. Patricks day.
A good technology operations manager has to live and breathe green computing 24 hours a day. We have to understand the implications to power and cooling for every technology acquisition we make. We need to know about EPEAT and EnergyStar. Will our high-speed printers, used to print your utility bills, accommodate 100% recycled paper? How fast can we virtualize our computing environment? The list goes on and on. . .
We are also put in the position of having to defend our decisions. Not that many people love it when you implement software that shuts down their PC when they aren’t using it. And what about those energy efficient multi-function printers that go to sleep and take forever to wake up, causing you to have to wait awhile for your document to print? I don’t know a single person who thinks that is a good thing.
When these decisions are made I know I am most likely going to lose popularity points with some of my customers. I make the unpopular decision anyway, knowing it is important for the environment and absolutely critical to ensure we are using taxpayers’ money wisely. I think my job is to do both.
Therefore, I have given up my dream of being the popular girl. . . no prom queen tiara for me.