May 2, 2008 - IBM has launched a free, web-based benchmarking tool to help IT managers establish energy efficiency targets for datacenter operations.

"The energy efficiency tool benchmarks against hundreds of organizations from around the world and the data set is being added to continually," says Jonathan Steel, CEO of tech firm The Bathwick Group, which created the tool. "It allows users to see how they stack up against up-to-the-minute best practices whenever they take the assessment."

(Access IBM's IT Energy Efficiency Benchmark here.)

IBM has also expanded its green IT offerings to include new power management software. The just-released Active Energy Manager enables IT managers to monitor and set caps on their energy use for servers, storage, and networking equipment, as well as the air conditioning and power management systems that keep datacenters online. The system can also notify IT administrators about issues with facilities equipment, such as system overheating or low battery power on uninterruptible power supply batteries.

In November, IBM began awarding certificates to clients whose datacenters reduced power needs. The company recently expanded its energy-efficiency certificate program to reach customers in 34 countries.

IBM launched its Project Big Green in May 2007 with the aim of helping clients reduce cost and environmental impact from their IT operations via greener products and services.