Pike Research recently launched a Green IT Advisory Service to offer market insight for companies looking to improve the energy efficiency of their IT operations.

The economic downturn has resulted in many businesses exploring new cost-effective strategies to streamline their processes.

“The global IT industry faces a unique opportunity to reduce its own energy costs and carbon footprint, in addition to having a substantial impact on the energy efficiency of other industries,” says Clint Wheelock, the research firm’s managing director. “Energy has often been an afterthought in IT circles, however it is fast becoming a key priority as well as a significant business opportunity.”

The company’s research has found green data center investment will represent 28 percent of the total global data center market during the next five years, with its value estimated to reach $41.4 billion by 2015 - up from $7.5 billion in 2009.

Cloud computing has become a key solution for businesses of all sizes that want to improve productivity without increasing their energy costs. Instead of running their own data centers, which require a lot of energy and maintenance, companies are outsourcing their needs to cloud providers that focus on sustainability. Organizations can thus reduce their energy output, and use the money they save from running their own infrastructures to invest in new business ventures.ADNFCR-2553-ID-19928175-ADNFCR