Symantec today announced the findings of its , whereby over 1,000 IT executives worldwide pointed to a shift from implementing green technologies primarily for cost reduction purposes, to a more balanced awareness of also improving their company's environmental standing.

Ninety-seven per cent of survey respondents confirmed they are discussing a green IT strategy, while 45 per cent have already implemented green IT initiatives.

Symantec's vice president of global solutions, Jose Iglesias, said IT has emerged as a new driving force in implementing green initiative over the past 12 months.

"The pendulum has swung both ways and IT is now taking a balanced approach that is more integral to an organization's 'green' strategy, proven by the fact that the vast majority of respondents are now responsible for the energy costs of their data centre," Iglesias said.

Survey respondents cited some key factors influencing the uptake of green IT: