Framework for adopting green IT in Kenya

Abstract

Green IT, also known as green computing, is an umbrella term referring to environmentally sound information technologies and systems, applications, and practices. It refers to supporting business critical computing needs with least possible amount of power or sustainable computing. In Kenya, IT operations have a significant impact on the environment, and organizations have an obligation of minimizing the negatives environmental impact of their IT operations. However, Green IT adoption requires a holistic approach in order to benefit from Green IT initiatives and practices that are increasingly becoming a focus even to government regulators in the developing countries following the signage of the Kyoto protocol in 1997. Organizations lack the understanding of having a holistic and sustainable approach in providing their services while at the same time, being environmentally friendly as they execute their business processes and strategies. This has lead them to having a more keen interest on their bottom lines while forsaking their environmental obligations in a bid to build a sustainable future by embracing green computing initiatives in the core of their business models and strategies. This research gives a perspective to this crucial need and endeavor to provide a localized framework with relation to other frameworks done across the spectrum with similar objectives in a bid to guide organizations towards a greener sustainable future. It has been established evidently from the research that policy factors, attitude and top management support have significant impact on adoption of Green IT within organizations. Moreover, it is indisputable that technology infrastructure can facilitate Green IT initiatives, but it should not be seen as an absolute answer to Green IT adoption, since it is just a tool that drives the initiative. Hence all the critical factors discussed in the validated framework in the research are interdependent and determines the adoption of Green IT initiatives in organizations. In conclusion, it is clear that all IT service providers in the region have a moral and environmental obligation to adopt new innovative Green IT approaches to stimulate the industry to not only become contributors to emission of green house gasses, but to also lead in providing localized solutions that can have impact in a achieving a sustainable environmental future.