Times are tough, but for Green IT consultants the future looks very bright. Forrester has recently come out with a report that says the market for Green IT services will grow at an eye-popping 60% per year, and reach $4.8 billion by 2013.
The report, "
Market Overview: Green IT Services," notes that the market is growing so quickly that in the last year alone, several behemoths have entered it, including Cisco, Infosys, and Wipro. Dell, Sun, Accenture, and Capgemini are already there.
The report found that as of October, 2008, 46% of enterprises are either using or considering using a company to provide it with green IT services. That's a big jump compared to last year, when only 30% were using them or considering using them.
Manufacturing, high-tech, and utilities and telecom were all industries that were particularly interested in buying Green IT services, and Asia, Latin America, and Middle East Africa were all the hottest geographic markets.
The report cites a number of drivers behind the growth of Green IT services. One big one is the Obama stimulus package. The report notes:
If there is a positive outcome from the economic downturn, it may well come from government-sponsored stimulus spending that will accelerate the building of new infrastructure. Smart electric grids, improved water systems, and intelligent transport systems all have signifcant green elements and signifcant IT components as well. Te recent stimulus bill enacted by the US government, for example, includes almost $9 billion for improving energy efciency in federal and military facilities. Some of the green IT service providers are already positioning to capture incremental revenue from the contracts that will fow from the stimulus spending.
For those interested in entering the market, or already in the market, the report has this advice:
We recommend that vendor strategists and green practice leaders continue to broaden their service oferings, helping clients to ft green IT within a broader context of corporate sustainability initiatives.
