A green IT professional is someone with skill and knowledge in configuring computing systems and employing strategies that reduce the energy used by computer networks.

The career outlook for a green IT consultant is excellent. They make on average $60-$103 thousand a year.

Typically, a green IT professional will work one-on-one with managerial and IT staff within a company to come up with solutions tailored to the needs of the company. Green IT consultants can work with businesses of any size, ranging from small entrepreneurial ventures to large organizations and government agencies. Some strategies in Green IT include virtualization of servers to reduce energy output, obtaining energy efficient hardware, materials recycling, and telecommuting.

"Greening" of information technology systems results in far less energy consumed, and environmentally friendly materials used in green computer hardware is less likely to contaminate the environment when the hardware has reached the end of its useful life. Green IT is one of the green initiatives that nearly always results in significant monetary savings to companies, making it a great profession to survive temporary economic downturn or other pressures that may reduce the demand for green services. For most companies, the driving force for implementing green IT strategies is substantial cost savings - green IT is good for the environment and good for a company's pocketbook too.

A job as a green IT professional is perfect for people who enjoy coming up with creative solutions to problems, and working with computer networks and applications. A green IT consultant must be able to deal with the technical aspects of the job, as well work with individuals and groups to plan and strategize, implement these strategies, report outcomes, and make any necessary adjustments. To work in green IT, you'll also need to understand business and statistics principles to help evaluate the effectiveness of a green IT campaign and make necessary adjustments.

A bachelor's degree in information systems is the typical route to attaining the skills and training needed to work as an effective IT professional. However, if you have significant IT knowledge through on the job training, it's possible that you could start your own consulting business whether or not you have a professional degree in the field. Management positions in green IT typically require a bachelor's degree, and a master's degree is usually preferred. The type of education and training required may vary because the settings and scope of green IT projects vary considerably from one job to the next, and from one organization to the next.

Green IT Resources

*Green IT: Reduce Your Information System's Environmental Impact While Adding to the Bottom Line
*The Green and Virtual Data Center
*Green Computing and Green IT Best Practices on Regulations and Industry Initiatives, Virtualization, Power Management, Materials Recycling and Telecommuting
*Billion Dollar Green: Profit from the Eco Revolution
*The Clean Tech Revolution: Discover the Top Trends, Technologies, and Companies to Watch

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