Going a little green can save a small business some green. That’s the findings from a survey conducted on behalf of Microsoft by KRC Research of 250 small-business IT decision-makers nationwide, which found that small businesses increasingly are relying on technology to help the environment.
Small Businesses Going Green
Going a little green can save a small business some green. That’s the findings from a survey conducted on behalf of Microsoft by KRC Research of 250 small-business IT decision-makers nationwide, which found that small businesses increasingly are relying on technology to help the environment and at the same time save money. The survey discovered a growing focus on environmental concerns, and findings show that 60 percent of small-business decision-makers save money by using sustainable technologies.
"Technology can play a significant role in helping businesses lower their impact on the environment," said Francois Ajenstat, director of environmental sustainability at Microsoft. "Microsoft helps by reducing the energy consumption of technology, helping manage environment footprint and rethinking business practices. This enables organizations to improve both their bottom line and the sustainability of their operations."
Microsoft's Research Shows the Benefits to Small Businesses
Among the key findings:
- 38 percent of respondents reported that their companies are trying to be more focused on being environmentally friendly than just a year ago.
- 69 percent reported that environmentally friendly practices are important for their business
- 94 percent believe that technology is an important tool to become greener
Respondents in the survey reported that trying to go paperless was the best way to go green, and offered the greatest cost savings. "Living and working on an island, being green is a necessity," says survey participant, Joseph Hommel, chief operating officer and co- owner of Maui Office Machines and Furnishings. "To practice paperless communication, we use Microsoft Outlook to handle all client proposals. By sending everything electronically, we are able to include color and images in proposals easily for more effective communications. We have a very high rate of deal closure, and clients routinely tell us it's because of the quality of our communications."
How Other Sustainable Practices Can Help
The survey also highlights sustainable practices that are being used by small-business, and represent what could be major savings as well:
- Setting up standards to manage power consumption for office devices – notably computers. This includes setting up computers and monitors to go to a sleep mode when not being used. This was being done by 28 percent of respondents
- Telecommute so employees don’t pollute. About 26 percent of respondents said they give a hoot, and let employees telecommute
- Upgrading of server infrastructure to the most energy-efficient technology was being done by about 16 percent of respondents
- Mobile technology was cited by 15 percent as a way to improve communication and productivity while going green
- Stay put to meet was another way to save money and go greener, and 14 percent said they were using the Web to conduct live meetings rather than traveling.