For Isaca Belgium, a presentation for roundtable of February, defining how ICT can contribute in greening our world and whether there is a framework needed..

1. Making a greener world through ICT
What do we need to achieve this?
Isaca Roundtable
February 2011
Laurent JANSSENS, Ir CISA CGEIT
© Sustain-IT - 2011 1

2. Agenda
• Who am I?
• Green IT: key concepts
• Is there any green IT governance
framework?
• And is COBIT® the potential candidate?
• References
© Sustain-IT - 2011 2

3. Who am I?
- Laurent Janssens
Owner of Sustain-IT, which aims to provide advice on green IT, from strategic planning
to implementation and on assessments at all stages of the process in between.
Previously, 6 years as management consultant at ALTRAN advising clients, mainly in the
financial sector, on IT governance, portfolio management, project coaching & process
improvement.
These consultancy assignments benefited from my experience in IT management,
Project management, security management and Audit (ICT, Operational, Financial).
As background, mechanical engineer (Ir). He obtained its CISA in 1999 after a Master In
Computer Audit
© Sustain-IT - 2011 3

4. With a broader view, the use of ICT brings
a multi-dimensional perspective
Levels of impact
Linked to the use
of ICT and its
2nd level applications
Linked to the
existence of ICT
sector and its
1st level own activities
Area of impacts
Economic Social Environmental
Conception
Production
Distribution
Use
End of life
Inspired from [1]
ICT life cycle © Sustain-IT - 2011 4

5. With focus on CO2, ICT is an enabler to
reduce CO2 emission by 15% (7.8 Gt)
Levels of impact
2nd level
1st level
Area of impacts
Economic Social Environment
Conception
Production
Distribution
Use
End of life
Inspired from [1], based on informatin from [2]
ICT life cycle © Sustain-IT - 2011 5

6. But green IT should not only be limited to GHe
Levels of impact
2nd level
e s
ng on urc o
a mi pti
r m y res
a l w onsu erg 1st level
l ob gy c -en Area of impacts
- G ne r t y on er
f n cy
E xici n o n tion e lay
- o io pa p n
- T plet ccu sum ozo Economic Social Environment
e
-D and o con the Conception
- L ater se in y Production
- W ecrea ersit
-D iodiv Distribution
- B
Use
End of life
Inspired from [1]
ICT life cycle © Sustain-IT - 2011 6

7. To achieve the objectives, there is a need
to have a green IT framework
• Such ambitious objectives (7.8 Gt) may not
be easily achieved
• Some additional considerations:
– Further regulations may be enforced
– Customers are becoming more and more green-
aware
– Good marketing alone is not sufficient, we need:
• Effective sustainable products
• Sustainable reporting, with transparent
governance
• A green IT governance framework is needed!
© Sustain-IT - 2011 7

8. A framework to fulfill the requirements
• Apply a top-down approach (from
strategy to implementation);
• Distinguish between « traditional
business » and « green IT business »
• Include sustainability impacts in the key
IT processes
• Enable performance management on
sustainability
© Sustain-IT - 2011 8

9. COBITâ, as aframework but with some
improvements... (1/2)
Sustainability objectives
G: sample of potential processes
impacted by sustainability
G
G
G
G
G
G
G
G
G
Sustainable
Energy
G
G
G
DS 6’: Identify and allocate GHe G
G
COBIT V4.1 fig 23, for explanation purposes

10. COBITâ, as a framework but with some
improvements... (2/2)
er
ffic
ty O
li
abi
ain
st
Su
ief
Ch

11. A flavour of those impacts on the COBIT
processes (1/2)
• PO2: Define the information architecture
– By having an architecture model and principles
promoting standardisation, avoiding complexity,
redundancy of information and enforcing re-use, IT
investments should decrease any waste in resources,
increasing the IT footprint
– By having an architecture model that advocates and
promotes e-solutions (e-procurement, e-invoicing, e-
government, etc) to enable decommissionning

12. A flavour of those impacts on the COBIT
processes (2/2)
• PO5: Manage investments
– Beside the Financial Management framework,
there is a need to create a sustainable
management framework.
– Sustainability efforts / initiatives should be
prioritised.
– Sustainability management should compare
sustainable projections with sustainable actuals.
– BC should also be assessed not only on costs and
benefits but also on the environmental impacts.

13. Conclusion
• A « Green-COBIT » is needed
• Maybe other management models should be
updated: « ABg » (ABC), « Green BSC »,
« Green-Lean », etc
• Be ready for the big transformation: the third
industrial revolution based on digital
infrastructure is started !!!
• This time the transformation has to be
environment-friendly
• « Green IT » is a good start but why not talk
about a « Sustainable IT »?
© Sustain-IT - 2011 14

14. For further questions
• Sustain-IT
• http://sustain-it.be/
• Laurent@sustain-it.biz
• +32 479 50 69 37
• Twitter: SustainITBiz
• LinkedIn: http://be.linkedin.com/in/janssenslaurent
© Sustain-IT - 2011 15

15. Sustain-IT’s approach
People
Products Process
© Sustain-IT - 2011

16. References
• [1] « T.I.C et développement durable:
les conditions du succès » - Sylvie
Faucheux, Ch. Hue, I. Nicolaï – De
Boeck
• [2] Smart2020, the climate Group, 2008
• Econochoc, Geert Noels
© Sustain-IT - 2011 17

17. Appendix
Smart 2020 report - 2008