The Value of Green IT: a Theoretical Framework and Exploratory Assessment of Cloud Computing

The phenomenon of climate change and the resulting focus on energy consumption has created a consensus among businesses about the need for a collective reduction in carbon emissions. A range of new Green technologies, such as Cloud computing, provide unprecedented opportunities to improve the efficiency of business operations and represent a realistic opportunity to reduce energy costs and combat global warming. Enterprises are equally concerned with optimising the business value derived from investments in Green IT. However, evidence from the literature shows that the measurement of IT value is a complex, challenge involving multiple stakeholders. Green IT, such as Cloud computing, adds further complexity to the understanding of IT value as the expected operational and business benefits should also be complemented by environmental and societal concerns. This paper contributes to the area of Cloud computing and Green IT research through the development of a framework that measures the value of Green IT. The framework expands on the work of Corbett (2010) and is developed as a result of a comprehensive literature review of both seminal works in the IT value field and also the most recent studies in Green IT. This paper demonstrates the efficacy of the value framework by reporting from a series of case studies involving Cloud computing. Using exploratory case studies, this study highlights the utility of the model and its applicability to multiple contexts. Although the framework can be applied in multiple settings, the findings highlight a number of areas that are prominent in SMEs and those in need of further attention.