SDM had the chance to interview Dr. Bob Banerjee, senior director of Training and Development, NICE Systems, Ra'anana, Israel, recently on “green” initiatives at NICE Systems. Dr. Bob has observed in the video security market that although everyone is cognizant of green issues, there is a need for education on how to make green buying decisions, and how to calculate a payback on those technology investments. The good news, he says, is that going green actually costs less than not going green. Bob explained that one of the biggest goals customers have is reducing overall operating costs, but what many don’t realize is that when it comes to energy consuming components, cutting operating costs is inseparable from going green. There is a direct correlation between using less energy to power and cool equipment, and one’s carbon footprint. So understanding and evaluating operating expenses is important from both financial and ecological standpoints.
One example Banerjee cites to articulate the carbon footprint of security systems is as follows: