Sustainability Opportunities for Universities: Cloud Computing, Virtualization and other Recommendations

In this poster session we describe efforts of a Midwestern United States university striving to increase computing capacity without increasing the actual size of the data center while simultaneously reducing the amount of energy required to power the data center. Other sustainability projects at universities across the United States are summarized and guidelines and suggestions are provided for university administrators to follow in order to ensure the smooth development of such initiatives. Our recommendations are based on the study of the university’s energy consumption data before and after initiatives began, which gives insight to the effectiveness of virtualization initiatives. Sustainability efforts not only affect a university’s triple bottom line but also can provide financial savings in the long run in terms of energy savings