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Low-Power Data

Advocates for "green" IT focus on efficient hardware, using virtualization to put more apps on fewer servers (the old power-supply-per-app equation) and making sure PCs and laptops have proper power management.

Now the Green Data Project is suggesting you look at the data itself. The idea is that we store a lot of data we don't really need, and then back up and archive all this junk. Disks, arrays, NAS boxes and SANs all take power, and the more we can reduce the growth of these devices (scaling back may be an impossible task), the more we can contain greenhouse gases.

How do we green our data? First, we have to take control of what we store, setting policies and training users so they aren't just saving junk they'll never need. Then, IT has to intelligently archive data that's rarely used, but important to keep.

What should we do about storage needs that are spiraling out of control? Share your thoughts at
