"In many firms, those are separate and distinct functions," Carney says. "People should realize the impact data centers have on the environment, and you have to partner with your company's real estate organization so you have a common goal."

Network World's IT Roadmap Conference & Expo will be presented in 10 cities this year. More information is available   In addition to green IT and virtualization, IT Roadmap covers topics such as application delivery, network management, software-as-a-service, cloud computing, security and compliance, VoIP, collaboration and wireless technologies.