Is VoIP greener than most traditional telephony technologies? While some individuals believe that VoIP is more environmentally friendly than the telecoms, we felt hesitant to agree. VoIP, after all, employs the Internet to operate, and network communications — along with their data centers and other resources — are notoriously energy hungry. According to Gartner Research, increasing energy costs, green technology, and increased environmental regulations pose significant challenges to corporate IT departments.

On the other hand, telephone companies such as Telinet in the UK [PDF], are urging clients to recycle their current equipment and avoid the possible energy crunch involved with switching to VoIP. But, is this message true? According to a Citel white paper, the deployment of an environmentally conscious VoIP network need not cost more, and in fact may cost substantially less, “providing a compelling balance between economics and corporate responsibility.” Read the rest of this entry »