There is a growing gulf between companies’ interest in and execution of green data centre initiatives, according to vendor Symantec.

Nearly three quarters of respondents to Symantec’s worldwide Green Data Centre report indicated an interest in adopting a strategic green data centre initiative, but only one in seven have been successful at implementing such a policy.

Mark Bregman, chief technology officer at Symantec, said: “Data centre managers are running out of space and energy costs are rocketing. So they are motivated to implement green data centre initiatives for cost reduction and efficiency purposes. It is beyond environmental concerns; it is about meeting business goals and reducing costs.”

Respondents noted that, while energy efficiency is a priority, it must be balanced with business needs. The study found that software is the top strategy for creating energy efficiencies. Some 51 per cent and 47 per cent of respondents indicated plans to consolidate and virtualise servers respectively.