FOUR OUT OF FIVE IT DECISION MAKERS VALUE GREEN IT

Cost Presents Biggest Barrier to Greater Adoption

VERNON HILLS, Ill. – July 23, 2008 – Eighty percent of IT decision makers across government and corporate sectors believe that implementing Green IT solutions in their organizations is important, according to a new survey by CDW Corporation. Additionally, almost half (49 percent) report positive reputation as one of the greatest benefits of adopting Green IT.

However, 51 percent of IT decision makers hesitate to employ Green IT technologies because of concerns about cost, while 25 percent cite complexity of implementing and maintaining Green IT solutions. Twenty-one percent cite potential disruptions to current systems as a top barrier to adoption.

“Even though IT decision makers clearly recognize the importance of Green IT solutions such as virtualization and server consolidation, there are always going to be growing pains involved with making a significant change to an organization,” said CDW Vice President Mark Gambill, the company’s executive responsible for market insights. “If going green means replacing servers that are already delivering reliable IT to an organization, then widespread adoption may take some time.”

Green IT is the practice of using natural resources efficiently and minimizing environmental impact through the entire IT product lifecycle. Examples of Green IT initiatives include IT purchasing practices that favor environmental protection, efficient IT energy use and safe recycling of electronic equipment. For more information about attitudes of IT decision makers toward Green IT, please visit www.cdwitmonitor.com.

According to CDW, the biggest “champions” of Green IT solutions within corporations and government organizations tend to be executives at the highest level. Forty-six percent of corporate IT decision makers— including 73 percent of small businesses— cite the CEO, President, Partner or Owner as the biggest proponent of Green IT. However, less than a third of small businesses have begun to implement Green IT versus nearly two-thirds of large businesses.

“In some cases, large businesses have greater flexibility when it comes to implementing new technologies,” added Gambill. “However, Green IT solutions can benefit organizations of all sizes. As IT decision makers become more aware of the available options, Green IT adoption will likely continue to broaden.”

In contrast to corporations, only 35 percent of government organizations have implemented Green IT solutions, and more than a third (39 percent) of them have no plans to implement Green IT in the next two years.

“It will be interesting to see how the priorities of government organizations regarding Green IT may change over time as its value in long-term cost savings becomes more clear,” added Gambill.

Other key findings about Green IT from CDW’s survey:

Small Businesses

(1-99 employees)
Medium-Size Businesses

(100-999 employees)
Large Business

(1,000+ employees)
Overall Corporate
Overall Government

Already implemented Green IT
27%
47%
64%
48%
35%

Planning to implement Green IT in the next two years
30%
26%
25%
27%
26%

No plans to implement Green IT in next two years
43%
27%
11%
25%
39%

In early August, CDW plans to release the 2008 Energy Efficient IT (E2IT) Report, which will focus on the more narrow topic of IT energy efficiency. Some of the findings in the E2IT Report will include the priority that IT professionals give to energy efficiency and best practices from organizations that have been most successful in this area. The basis for the E2IT Report is a June CDW survey of 778 IT professionals in business, government and education.

About the CDW Green IT survey
The CDW Green IT survey was created by CDW Corporation, and research and analysis is conducted by independent polling firm Richard Day Research of Evanston, Ill. Decision makers are invited from two large national panels of IT decision makers built and maintained by E-Rewards and Survey Sampling International. Data reported in this release is based on a survey of 1,041 IT decision makers conducted between May 27 and June 3, 2008.

CDW Corporation also publishes the CDW IT Monitor, a bimonthly indicator of the direction, momentum and mindset of the U.S. IT marketplace. The IT Monitor is based on a national online survey of at least 1,000 IT decision makers from business (small, medium and large) and government (state, federal and local) sectors.

About CDW
CDW is a leading provider of technology solutions for business, government and education. Ranked No. 39 on Forbes’ list of America’s Largest Private Companies, CDW features dedicated account managers who help customers choose the right technology products and services to meet their needs. The company’s technology specialists offer expertise in designing customized solutions, while its advanced technology engineers can assist customers with the implementation and long-term management of those solutions. Areas of focus include notebooks, desktops, printers, servers and storage, unified communications, security, wireless, power and cooling, networking, software licensing and mobility solutions.

CDW was founded in 1984 and as of December 31, 2007 employed approximately 6,300 coworkers. In 2007, the company generated sales of $8.1 billion. For more information, visit CDW.com.