Managing the state of California's IT infrastructure is no easy task. Historically, PCs, servers, printers and almost all tech hardware has been administered by individual agencies and departments, resulting in a hodge-podge of tools and levels of efficiency.

But according to a new white paper published by Intel, the state could save as much as $44 million in energy costs over the next four years by optimizing its PC fleet.

But the phrase "no easy task" comes to mind again when you look at the numbers: with a survey of all IT hardware conducted using BDNA's discovery suite, it turns out that California currently has about 225,000 PCs, 9,500 servers, and more than 100 email systems.

With the first step of quantifying the problem, the remaining recommendations involve standardizing operations. Switching to laptops can reduce the state's energy use by about 90 percent over what is used by desktops and cathode-ray tube monitors. The report suggests that the state should set a goal of switching to a fleet consisting of 80 percent laptops and 20 percent desktops over the course fo the next four years.

Intel itself made such a transition, and in the white paper says that the company reduced its total cost of ownership for its PC fleet by 67 percent, including savings from reduced energy use.

Switching to a mobile workforce will also enable state workers more flexibility to work from home, a move that could both reduce energy use and emissions, as well as increase productive time for teleworking employees. Other benefits include higher resilience from disasters and the ability to save on real estate and facility costs for employees who work remotely.

After switching to a mobile platform, the white paper recommends that the state's IT managers adopt a consistent, policy-based power management strategy, which can reduce power consumption and emissions by as much as 40 percent, as well as earning rebates from some of the state's utilities, including PG&E and SMUD.

Standardizing platforms, simplifying printing and imaging solutions, automating patches and upgrades, and centralizing overall governance of the fleet are the other main steps to achieving a greener IT infrastructure for the state.

Download the full white paper, "Optimizing the PC Segment of California's IT Infrastructure," from GreenerComputing.com.