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November 2008 - Posts

CA World 2008

Published: November 22 2008, 09:29 AM | no comments
by Sam Somashekar

This year, CA World 2008 had many themes around "Discoverability." One of those is a campaign called "CA Greenability." Greenability is, simply put, a demonstration of our commitment to environmental sustainability. This includes corporate initiatives across our business operations to reduce our impact on the environment and reduce our overall carbon footprint (such as being a signatory of the United Nations Global Compact, a participant in the Carbon Disclosure Project, completing an installation of a "White Roof" on our Islandia, NY headquarters to help reduce the energy used for interior cooling, and our use of technology to accomplish this goal). It also includes the capabilities that we provide through some of our Enterprise IT Management and Business Governance solutions to allow for customers to implement Green initiatives of their own.

As a natural extension to Enterprise IT Management, we are helping customers improve the efficiency of their IT operations through better management. Better management ensures optimal use of IT infrastructure and translates to less energy demand. Through better management of IT hardware assets and optimizing the energy used by those assets, IT can better control power and cooling costs.

As a natural extension to IT and Business Governance, "Green Governance" solutions allow companies to use an effective, systematic approach to environmental sustainability. These solutions incorporate a continuous improvement life-cycle which helps an organization address areas such as:

  • Strategy
  • Risk Management
  • Compliance Management
  • Idea Management
  • Portfolio Management
  • Project Management
  • Performance Management and Stakeholder Reporting

At CA World 2008 we demonstrated CA Greenability in a number of ways. We had numerous sessions, some of which were given by our clients and analysts, which talked about how our solutions enable Green IT initiatives as defined by our customers. We gave away organic, reusable grocery bags and organic Green t-shirts, as well as organic coffee and "trees in a bottle" that could be taken home and replanted. We also featured a five minute Greenability video spotlighting what CA does as a company, how we use technology and how our technology can help customers become more "Green." (Look for the video on YouTube shortly.)  Data center tours also showcased how we used our solutions to optimize operations.

We also demonstrated new technology around power management, carbon monitoring, and sustainability project management. And, we showed how Green IT initiatives can be achieved through current solutions such as CA Data Center Automation Manager, IT Client Management, IT Asset Management, and Mainframe Output and Enterprise Report Management. Certain employees, including me, wore CA Greenability buttons to allow customers and other employees to seek us out and talk to us about how we can help them "Go Green." I had many positive conversations on this topic with employees, clients, and partners such as APC.

As I walked an analyst around to our Green IT demo stations in the CA World exhibit hall, he was very complimentary on the solutions that we showcased. And, customers joined in lively discussion through a Green IT panel that was held at the IT Management Symposium.

All in all we demonstrated to everyone what CA Greenability is all about at CA World 2008. And, we will continue to demonstrate our capabilities for "Green" solutions throughout the coming months and when we meet again in 2010 at the next CA World at the Los Angeles Convention Center, one of the leading "Green" convention centers in the U.S.

 

Sam Somashekar, PMC
Advisor, Product Management
sam.somashekar@ca.com

 

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By: Sam Somashekar
Sam Somashekar is an advisor of product management at CA, Inc. Sam has over 15 years of experience demonstrating success in enterprise software product management and development, business development, marketing, and market research. He has experience establishing, developing, and inspiring high-performance...
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“Green’s” Impact on Your Organization

Published: November 06 2008, 01:33 PM | 2 Comment(s)
by Terrence Clark

Environmental awareness and sensitivity is a critical issue facing organizations today.  Its impact on your organization may be many faceted.

 

We have rising energy prices that force us to focus on how to better manage their energy consumption to drive down costs.  As Chris Stakutis mentioned in a recent blog you must first measure your current energy activity.  This includes understanding consumption and expenditure to a level of detail that allows the organization to make informed decisions on how best to reduce both.

 

Compliance with governmental regulations on environmental issues is becoming more of a pressing issue for companies.  Do you know the carbon footprint of your organization?  If not, do you even know how to determine it?  If so, are you reporting it externally to organizations like the Carbon Disclosure Project?  Are you aware of the formal regulatory cap and trade carbon markets in Europe (EU-ETS) and Australia (Carbon Reduction Scheme) as well as the voluntary registries in the United States such as the California Climate Action Registry and other state and regional mandates?  This is not even mentioning other environmental regulations such as RoHS, WEEE, and REACH pertaining to materials used in products and their proper disposal.  Regulations are increasing and non-compliance is no longer an option for sustainable organizations.

 

Consumers are much more environmentally sensitive and are increasingly looking to purchase green products and services.  They are now more informed of an organization’s response to green issues, and this too is having an impact on their buying decisions.  Today’s environmentally conscious consumers are concerned with the environmental impact of a product throughout its lifecycle.  If your organization ignores these new buying patterns in the market you could very well find yourself losing existing customers and not gaining new ones.  However, if your organization understands and proactively responds to this new paradigm you will find yourself retaining more customers, adding new ones, and differentiating yourself from competitors.

 

Suppliers and partners are now also playing a major role.  It is no longer acceptable for your organization to claim ignorance when it comes to the operations of its suppliers and partners.  The operation of your suppliers and partners must have the same level of transparency and visibility as your organization does.  Effectively, any non-compliance or environmental indifference on the supplier’s part may become your issue.

 

Investors more than ever are evaluating the “sustainability” of an organization.  They are looking for companies that are not only sound financially, but also environmentally and socially.  The number of sustainability funds, like the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, continues to grow. 

 

At the end of the day at the heart of any organization’s strategy for environmental sustainability is usually one or more of these four key drivers: cost, regulation, brand image, and the opportunity to deliver new green products and services. 

 

What are the key drivers for your organization?   


Terrence G. Clark

Senior Vice President – Business Governance

mailto:terrence.clark@ca.com

 

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By: Terrence Clark
Terrence Clark is a senior vice president and general manager heading up CA's ecoSoftware Business Unit at CA. His vision is to help organizations evaluate their portfolio of green choices, while showing them how they can reduce their carbon footprint, save costs, seize on opportunities and be both...
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