Which is the best description of the relationship between Green Computing and Management Information Systems MIS )?

Green computing, also known as green technology, is the use of computers and other computing devices and equipment in energy-efficient and eco-friendly ways. Organizations that use green computing methods often deploy energy-efficient central processing units (CPUs), servers, peripherals and power systems. They also focus on reducing resource use and properly disposing of physical and electronic waste (e-waste).

One of the early green computing initiatives in the United States was the Energy Star labeling program. This voluntary program was developed by the Environmental Protection Agency in 1992 and implemented by manufacturers to promote energy efficiency in computing hardware and other types of appliances. The Energy Star label is common, especially for laptop computers and displays. European and Asian countries have implemented similar programs.

What is included in a green computing strategy?

IT managers typically focus energy efficiency efforts on data centers, equipment rooms, storage areas and other elements that use energy or are affected by energy use. Saving money is one driving factor. Government regulations dealing with energy conservation also drive green efforts. Concern about climate change, along with internal and external pressure to be environmentally responsible, is a third factor behind the green movement.

Companies' green computing strategies can include the following steps:

• Remote work. The COVID-19 pandemic has spurred many changes in the workplace environment, including ones that have led to reduced energy consumption. It has decreased the number of people commuting to and from work. It has also cut the number of employees present in an organization's facilities, reducing demand for power, water and other resources.
• Smart technology. Organizations can use internet of things sensors and artificial intelligence (AI) monitoring tools to collect and analyze information about the data center and create a power usage model. AI-powered tools can also autonomously manage heating, cooling and power in the data center.
• Upgrade and rearrange the data center. Older equipment often uses more energy and puts out more heat than newer devices. Hot and cold aisle setups can be used to group assets based on energy consumption and temperature, optimizing heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) efficiency.
• Power down. CPUs and peripherals can be powered down and turned off during extended periods of inactivity. Power up energy-intensive peripherals, such as laser printers, only when needed.
• Strategic scheduling. Do computer-related tasks in dedicated blocks of time, leaving hardware off at other times.
• Display selection. Liquid crystal display monitors use less energy and give off less heat than cathode-ray tube monitors.
• Computer selection. Laptops use significantly less energy than desktop computers.
• Power management. These features can be set to automatically power down hard drives and displays after several minutes of inactivity.
• Temperature check. Newer IT devices can safely run at higher temperatures than older ones, so the data center may not need to be as cool as in the past.
• E-waste. Dispose of e-waste according to federal, state and local regulations.
• Alternative energy. Investigate alternative energy sources, such as geothermal cooling and wind and hydroelectric power.

The importance of green computing

The key mission of green computing is to reduce energy consumption. This not only cuts energy costs for organizations, but it also reduces the carbon footprint, particularly of IT assets.

The environmental impact of IT components is important in the study of data center design. Advances in energy management and energy conservation have turned computers and other computing resources into highly energy-efficient assets. Green design of data centers, office buildings and other high-energy assets has become a key part of new construction and building upgrades to make them more environmentally sustainable.

An important consideration with green IT is to reduce the use of energy from fossil fuels. This helps lower the amount of pollution released into the atmosphere and water system. Reduced emissions have been shown to have positive effects on weather and air pollution.

Building energy considerations into the system development lifecycle has resulted in the use of energy-efficient equipment, power systems, lighting and HVAC systems, and a variety of ancillary systems. For example, many data center components have a sleep mode that reduces power use or completely shuts down a system during times of low or no use.

Most IT equipment manufacturers support green manufacturing. As noted earlier, the Energy Star logo is an important metric when selecting IT equipment and data center elements.

How to achieve green computing

The following is a list of ways to increase green computing and energy efficiency in data centers and other facilities:

• Install building environment systems that are energy efficient.
• Install overhead lighting with low energy consumption and include timers or motion detectors to control light switches and reduce the time lights are in use.
• Buy energy-efficient servers, switches, laptops, desktop systems, printers, scanners and other equipment.
• Install energy-efficient windows and doors that have reflective glass to reduce heat.
• Install fans throughout equipment racks to reduce heat.
• Turn off systems that are not performing scheduled work.
• Use refillable printer cartridges.
• Establish corporate policies that stress energy conservation and the use of energy-efficient equipment.
• Explain to senior management the importance of green computing and make sure to have their support.

Find out more about green computing best practices and how to put them into practice.

MIS (management information systems) is the department controlling hardware and software systems used for business-critical decision-making within an enterprise.

The MIS department was originally the whole of information technology. From the 1960s to the early 1980s, practitioners and business schools referred to MIS, rather than IT. In the early days, enterprise computing's main role was to help the CEO and CFO with information systems management for a few key run-the-business tasks, such as order entry, accounting and budgeting. No enterprise applications existed; programmers painstakingly wrote code to carry out these functions, usually on a mainframe.

These systems were business-critical, meaning a business would fail if it had to go back to manual accounting. If MIS failed, the business was in danger. The CFO oversaw MIS, ensuring the developers and administrators delivered what accounting needed.

In the 1980s, with the advent of personal computers that ran spreadsheets, the scope of computing's responsibilities began to change. Personal spreadsheets took business-critical processes out of the domain of upper management; MIS needed to service a wider range of users -- deploying external, as well as internal, software programs. The name of the department changed to reflect this new set of internal customers, becoming information systems (IS). The MIS department became one, still-vital part of the overall IS department.

How a MIS works

In addition to serving as a department within a company, MIS refers to computer software that is used to store, organize and analyze information. Management information systems are used to track sales, inventory, equipment and related business information. In the past, management information systems ran on mainframe computers. As computing systems evolved, MIS moved to run on client/server systems. Today, it’s common for MIS to run in the cloud or in a hybrid cloud.

Types of MIS

The four types of MIS are:

• Transaction Processing System (TPS), which processes the routine transactions associated with a business. Example transactions include payroll processing, order processing, such as for an e-commerce business, and invoicing.
• Management Support Systems (MSS), which store and organize data, enabling end users to generate reports and analyze data to address business needs and inform planning. A data warehouse is an example of a Management Support System.
• Decision Support Systems (DSS), which analyze business data to assist managers with decision making. For example, a DSS could project revenue figures based on new product sales assumptions.
• Expert Systems, which provide managers with insights and advice, using artificial intelligence (AI) to simulate the expert knowledge of a human in a particular field.

MIS vs. IT management

In the 1990s, the rise of the enterprise application brought about a new set of IS tasks. Companies succeeded by providing better services to the consumer than competitors, via a proper mix of enterprise applications and homegrown ones. The applications handled a wider range of functions than the original MIS department: order entry, accounting and budgeting, but also enterprise resource planning, supply chain management and sales force automation. Many of these tasks were not solely the property of the IS department -- outside vendors, outsourcers and line-of-business computing departments all claimed a share of enterprise computing.

Information systems became more of a strategic director of the software and underlying hardware technologies in the enterprise's architecture, and less of a controlling central entity. Again, the name changed to reflect the new role: information technology, or IT, rather than IS. Again, the original MIS department became a smaller part of the overall whole.

Today, the term management information systems is used broadly in various contexts. These include, but are not limited to:

• Decision support systems
• Resource and people management applications 
• Project management
• Database retrieval applications.

Although the boundaries between MIS and IT management have become fuzzy over the years, typically, MIS still covers systems that are critical to the company's ability to survive, including accounting and order entry. Upper management should understand the importance of MIS in the context of enterprise revenue.

In many businesses, MIS handles legacy software and hardware, coded by programmers long since retired, who left no documentation for the systems. This is equally a role of IT management and business coordination. The enterprise upgrades or modernizes these systems only very carefully, and with high appreciation of the risks involved. Therefore, the importance of MIS, and the people who support it and know its quirks, remains high -- even if it is a little-discussed part of enterprise IT.

Importance of MIS

MIS, both the department and the software system, can help companies gain a competitive advantage. The data managed by an MIS system can help managers make better decisions related to sales, manufacturing, resource allocation and more. Both the MIS department and the software systems help organizations increase productivity by enabling workers to spend more time on productive tasks.

The MIS department plays an important role in providing these support services within an organization:

• Governance, which involves systems and controls over employees’ use of computing systems. This MIS department defines, manager and enforces rules on how (and whether) employees can access the company’s technologies and network infrastructure. MIS is responsible for IT security, as well as enforcing codes of conduct related to computer systems use.
• Infrastructure, which refers to the technology systems that support the day-to-day functioning of the business, such as phones, desktop/laptop computers, servers, application software and cloud computing. The MIS department provides internal help desk and support services, assisting employees and troubleshooting issues related to the infrastructure.
• Data management, which involves the provisioning and management of systems that enable employees to access and update critical business data. The MIS department is responsible for ensuring the availability and security of the data management systems.

Management information systems careers

The management information systems job description is likely to include financial concepts and duties alongside those of IT administration. Roles and responsibilities include network and computer systems management, business systems analysis, data integration, and compliance and audit preparations, as well as soft skills such as being a communicator who can liaison with the business units that rely on MIS.

A management information systems career could entail evaluating business applications and selecting those that will help the enterprise achieve sales, marketing or related goals. In turn, the MIS department then deploys and manages these applications throughout their lifecycle.

MIS jobs may require a degree in computer science or management information systems, specifically. The candidate should be able to manage IT and software vendors, and troubleshoot and optimize the computer systems and applications. In addition, they should be able to track metrics related to how effectively the application supports business objectives. The MIS career entails extensive planning and analysis for large-scale and business-critical projects, and it may require experience or education on finance and economics.