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TECH SUPPORT Improving IT systems and making them more efficient saves both energy and money. BY GERRY BLACKWELL 'Claiming the victory' G reen is in. Corporate Canada is suddenly environmentally aware, if not always for en- tirely altruistic reasons. And among corporate propeller heads, green IT is the new hot topic. Law firms — surprise — may actually be ahead of the game when it comes to greening technology. We spoke to two mid-size firms, chosen more or less at random — Siskinds LLP in London, Ont. and Stikeman Elliott in Toronto — and found that management in both were well versed in the issues and had already launched significant initiatives. Both have undertaken major server con- solidation and virtualization projects. Both have introduced measures to help reduce printing and paper consump- tion. And both now have environmental committees that co-ordinate and over- see firm-wide efforts. But paradoxically environmental con- cerns are not always the only or even the most important drivers of green IT initiatives. "We'd ideally like to make changes to help the environment," says Laurie Hause, director of technology and marketing at Siskinds. "But [any ini- tiative] has to meet business objectives www. C ANADIAN Law ye rmag.com SEPTEMBER 2008 27 ILLUSTRATION: JOW WEISSMAN