The Green IT

When I was in 2^nd grade in elementary school, I could remember my teacher ask our class to tell our parents about the harm that burning garbage could bring to our environment. My mother, upon hearing my teacher’s message through me, suddenly responded with a tone of sarcasm that went like “..so that’s why I saw them burning garbage at the their schoolyard..”. It’s been more than two decades since that happened and I couldn’t help but just smile whenever that memory flashes back to me. However, if you do make a reality check what my mother said did have a point.

We have been hearing many “mini resolutions” that one can do in going green but not every one seems to partake in saving the environment. The evidence that humans are causing global warming is strong, but the question of what to do about it remains controversial. We have been educated by the media to install compact fluorescent light bulbs, take shorter showers, keep electronics out of trash and a lot more ways to join the green campaign. In fact, almost all industries, like economics, sociology and politics, are doing their parts by combating global warming and the greenhouse effect. As per the article, the IT industry could be of considerable help in stopping the said two phenomena by producing more eco-friendly and energy efficient technologies. Initially, I was wondering how could IT possibly and considerably lessen the emission of C02 gas, which traps and holds in the heat and is the main cause of global warming. Then I realized that if these computer manufacturers would completely push through with the production of energy efficient computer units then it would mean less energy consumption. We know that there many power plants operating around the globe which burn fuels just to generate electricity, so if we could save more electricity we would be less dependent on these kinds of power plants which emit huge amount of CO2 gas. That’s less coal we burn and less money we spend. I do not know how exactly this presumption of mine leads me to the correct answer, but I do believe that it makes sense. The article also discusses about HP reusing and recycling some of its materials to manufacture its products. It reminds of the business signages in Makati and Las Piñas areas that read “We buy empty ink cartridges”, if that is part of this green campaign then that is good for not only do they make money, they also save the environment.

Let me also share my high school experience when we joined the noise barrage to protest the construction and operation of the nuclear power plant in the Philippines. Upon reading the article about Green IT, that memory went back to me because I realized that it was but an attempt to produce more energy and emit less "green house gases". It’s just sad that this effort of going green has some risks lying ahead. Just like in the article, it is advised that computer replacements and hardware upgrades, if implemented every two years, should instead be implemented every after 4 years; so that, there would be less disposal of these materials. However, newly manufactured computers, servers, cooling equipment, and data centers have designs which are more energy-efficient and environmentally sound. Wouldn’t it mean replacing your old hardware with the green ones would be tantamount to less energy consumption? So why take a longer time to implement hardware upgrades? Although, some of the resolutions at hand have drawbacks, the good news is that -- there are a variety of options to put us on a path toward a stable climate with which everyone can help.

THE NEW FRONTIERS

Honestly, I am a type of person who finds economics as the second most uninteresting topic of all, politics being the first one. Since high school, I’ve been marveling at the thought of “why would not just our government produce more new money to fund its projects”, many attempted to answer my questions but I just heard more economic principles which just impelled more confusions on my end. Thus, upon reading the article entitled “The new frontiers”, it took me quite a while to digest what it was trying to convey. It focuses more on the potential of China in having a more robust economy and gaining competitive edge in the world market by the time the recession ends. In my opinion, I do believe that China will become a lot better in the future than it was in the past. I remember, my high school history teacher, quoting a line from Napoleon Bonaparte, told our class that China was as a “sleeping giant”. Tapping its potentials would make it emerge as one of the leading nations in the world economy. This sort of “prophecy” about China is nothing new to us; in fact, we are in an era when its dramatic economy boost is coming to reality. I do believe that even before the recession started the economies of the developing countries mentioned in the article were already strong. Had not the recession surfaced, they would have gained greater profit margins. Every nation is affected by the recession but it does not completely impede one country from developing. The development may have slowed down but it is still moving forward. The article sounds like a nightmare for the USA but I am pretty sure that it is doing its best to employ the best strategy to beat down the financial crisis. Anand Raman says that companies in the developing countries are concentrating more on growing their sales at home. However, I think, with the exports shrinking, companies in other nations are also doing this approach. Every government must be implementing a system that would help it best adapt to this economic crisis. But as soon as the recession ends, the world economy will gradually normalize and the “growing divide” mentioned by the author will not realize for the very reason the author himself said that “financial markets all over the world are intertwined”. I like the part where Africa’s potential is being discussed. It is the 2nd largest continent in the world with nations sharing common languages, cultures and trade routes. Companies scattered in this continent are very likely to make a feasible market by creating a powerful channel of communications and instigate intense trading among African nations and the rest of the world. I will not be surprised if someday Africa will be using only one type of currency in its territory just like European countries which are united by the Euro currency. While the article contains economic verbosity, I still find most of its part easy to understand because of its being straightforward.

The Pinoy IT Manager

The Pinoy IT Manager

Global recession is one of the issues that many industries are combating today. As a resort, many companies would provide no salary increase to their employees. The organization, where Mr. Siscar belongs to, is not an exception. It faces a dilemma on lowering the budget allocation for the IT department causing the salaries of its staff to be stagnant. This decision from the administration resulted in the resignation of considerable number of IT employees. While, it is possible to increase their salaries, their manpower count would be compromised – the company would have to fall back on retrenchment. As an IT manager, Mr Siscar needs to retain only the best from the department. From the personnel of 50 members, it is tolerable to cut the number down to 45. That’s slashing only 10% off the total count of the IT staff. Mr. Siscar could then present a salary increase proposal of up to 10% to the HR manager for the remaining most efficient workforce of his unit. Since only a small percentage is to be retrenched, it wouldn’t be difficult to make some adjustments with regard to manpower allocation and delegation of tasks. To provide better service, IT department would conduct audit on most frequently requested services from its team. Based on the audit figure, after a certain period, Mr. Siscar, together with his staff, would conduct a seminar on how to resolve common technical issues. This approach could greatly lessen the number of requests for technical assistance on minor technical issues which could be resolved by an ordinary employee. As a result, the IT department could focus better on more important technical concerns that the organization urgently needs. In order for a company to reach its goals, certain sacrifices should be made for the welfare of the majority and the company itself.