A Maturity Model for Energy Efficiency in Mature Data Centres

Data centresare complex eco-systems that interconnect elements of the ICT, electrical, and mechanical fields of engineering and hence the efficient operation of a data centre requires a diverse range of knowledge and skills from each of these fields. The Innovation Value Institute (IVI), a consortium of leading organizations from industry, the notforprofit sector, and academia, have developed a maturity model that offers a comprehensive,value-based method for organizing, evaluating, planning, and improving the energy efficiency of mature data centres. The development process for the maturity model is discussed, detailing the role of design science in its definition

ICT for eco-sustainability: an assessment of the capability of the Australian ICT sector

Executive summary As eco-sustainability issues become increasingly important to most, if not all, Australian organisations, the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry is expected to provide solutions that reduce material consumption (dematerialise), emissions (decarbonise), and energy use and waste production (demobilise) in both the ICT infrastructure and the business processes and practices of industries. The term \u27Green ICT\u27 represents this eco- sustainability enabling role of the ICT industry. The School of Business Information Technology and Logistics, RMIT University in collaboration with the Australian Information Industries Association (AIIA) surveyed all members and affiliates of the AIIA at the beginning of 2010 to understand Australian ICT firms\u27 capability to enhance the eco-sustainability of other industries. Based on data collected from 133 ICT firms, this report constitutes the first comprehensive study that exclusively focuses on the Australian ICT industry

Towards evaluation design for smart city development

Smart city developments integrate digital, human, and physical systems in the built environment. With growing urbanization and widespread developments, identifying suitable evaluation methodologies is important. Case-study research across five UK cities - Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, Milton Keynes and Peterborough - revealed that city evaluation approaches were principally project-focused with city-level evaluation plans at early stages. Key challenges centred on selecting suitable evaluation methodologies to evidence urban value and outcomes, addressing city authority requirements. Recommendations for evaluation design draw on urban studies and measurement frameworks, capitalizing on big data opportunities and developing appropriate, valid, credible integrative approaches across projects, programmes and city-level developments

An enterprise architecture driven approach to virtualisation

Organisations have shown a significant interest in the adoption of virtualisation technology for improving the efficiency of their Data Centres (DC) from both the resource performance and cost efficiency viewpoints. By improving the efficiency of data centres we can sustainably manage their impact on the environment by controlling their energy consumption. The intentions are clear but how best to approach to Data Centre virtualisation is not. This paper proposes an integrated Enterprise Architecture and Information Infrastructure (EAII) driven approach to guide the Data Centre virtualisation. The EAII approach has been developed based on the review and analysis of wellknown The Open Group Architecture Framework (TOGAF) and Information Infrastructure (II) model. The proposed integrated EAII approach seems appropriate to guide and align business strategy and virtualisation implementation for data centres of any size in any industry vertical

Estimating Future Costs of Emerging Wave Energy Technologies

The development of new renewable energy technologies is generally perceived as a critical factor in the fight against climate change. However, significant difficulties arise when estimating the future performance and costs of nascent technologies such as wave energy. Robust methods to estimate the commercial costs that emerging technologies may reach in the future are needed to inform decision-making. The aim of this paper is to increase the clarity, consistency, and utility of future cost estimates for emerging wave energy technologies. It proposes a novel three-step method: (1) using a combination of existing bottom-up and top-down approaches to derive the current cost breakdown; (2) assigning uncertainty ranges, depending on the estimation reliability then used, to derive the first-of-a-kind cost of the commercial technology; and (3) applying component-based learning rates to produce the LCOE of a mature technology using the upper bound from (2) to account for optimism bias. This novel method counters the human propensity toward over-optimism. Compared with state-of-the-art direct estimation approaches, it provides a tool that can be used to explore uncertainties and focus attention on the accuracy of cost estimates and potential learning from the early stage of technology development. Moreover, this approach delivers useful information to identify remaining technology challenges, concentrate innovation efforts, and collect evidence through testing activities

Cooperative Purchasing Micro-Evolutions: A Longitudinal International Study

This paper deals with the evolution of relatively young purchasing groups. Although previous research focussed on macro-evolutionary phases of purchasing groups, no attention has yet been paid to the intra-phase developments, the so-called ‘micro-evolutions’. Insight into micro-evolutions is crucial to better understand how purchasing groups (can) develop over time. We conducted three in-depth case studies in different countries and identified five dimensions of micro-evolutions: member relationships, objectives, activities, organisation, and resources. For each dimension, we provide an overview of micro-evolutions to guide purchasing groups in developing the dimension. We conclude that the dimension ‘activities’ is very important and that purchasing groups do not have to develop the dimensions simultaneously

Assessment of maturity of reverse logistics as a strategy to sustainable solid waste management

Small- and medium-sized enterprises primarily focus on their operations and rarely pay attention to issues related to sustainable solid waste management that originate from their production processes. A suitable strategy to support sustainable solid waste management is reverse logistics. Through the use of maturity models, it is possible to determine the grade to which small- and medium-sized enterprises are prepared to perform this strategy. This study proposes an adapted maturity model to measure maturity levels of reverse logistics aspects at small- and medium-sized enterprises in regions from Colombia in order to contribute to sustainable solid waste management. The maturity model was applied to seven small- and medium-sized enterprises in the plastics sector in the central and southern regions of Colombia by adapting a maturity model that was previously correlated to suggested drivers and barriers in this sector. Results show that maturity levels range from naïve to immature owing to the incipient development of reverse logistics in Colombia. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a holistic vision of the organisation to improve the reverse logistics decision-making process to achieve sustainable solid waste managemen