The green IT movement in Canada is spawning a new set of solution providers that are targeting environmentally conscious business opportunities in the market place.
Take, for example, Blue Curl of Langley, B.C. According to Heather Kent, HP Canada‘s channel marketing manager, Blue Curl is an HP (NYSE: HPQ) partner that recognized they had to do it themselves if the green IT movement was going to advance.
The provincial government in B.C. has mandated that the entire public sector become carbon neutral by 2012. This includes school districts. Kent says Blue Curl saw this as an opportunity, created a practice with HP, and won many school board tenders.
Blue Curl’s Carbon Neutral Computing program uses one PC as a host for seven users. In its solution for Lindsey Park Elementary in Kimberly, B.C. a 35 person computer lab only uses five PCs.
With the onset of new green-conscious solution providers HP Canada has developed Green Expressway, a set of green resources intended to help partners grow their business while helping end users implement environmentally sound technology solutions.
“The models help end users take advantage of the green office, and for partners it helps them sell power and cooling,” Kent said.
HP Canada soft-launched the program last September. “The uptake was phenomenal and we decided to take it to the next level,” she added.
More than 1,400 people representing more than 400 VARs in the partner community have taken part in Green Expressway.
Green Expressway will be on HP’s Partner Portal site and will provide the channel with information specific to energy-efficiency programs, environmental news, and industry research.
HP Canada is looking for about 30 partners such as Blue Curl for this green initiative.Kent anticipates Green Expressway will be built by sharing best practices with other countries.
The portal will list recyclers to help customers and partners with their own recycling efforts. HP does have a recycling facility.
HP Canada channel chief Dave Frederickson calls Green Expressway a competitive differentiator. He cites Softchoice of Toronto as another solution provider putting a green initiative around a service.
“This is an opportunity to bring various value components together with a greening effect,” he said.
Frederickson adds that for the green IT movement to really catch on there must be some standardization within the provinces. “Alberta was the first with payments and fees, but how will you know if a company is eco-friendly? I think it will require some level of certification,” he said.
He also believes that as more people get on board with green IT, the industry will get some scale and that will drive the cost down.
