Assessing the greenability of ensembles

Ensembles are the engines that keep large computing infrastructures and architectures running, such as smart cities and smart campuses, among others. Being critical elements for the correct functioning of an entire system, constant and rigorous assessments or evaluations are performed on different aspects such as performance, quality, design, etc. But among these aspects, energy consumption and environmental impact that the ensembles have are not usually considered. Sustainability is a fundamental characteristic nowadays and ensembles are the elements that most directly affect it. For this reason, assessments should be extended towards the sustainability or “greenability” of ensembles. In this study we propose the use of the “Governance and Management Framework for Green IT”, a framework that we have developed, to conduct the assessment of the greenability of ensembles. Through this framework, we identify which are the goals and metrics that should be considered, as well as the practices and activities that must be assessed to ensure that the ensembles work individually in an eco-sustainable manner, to achieve an entire green system.