A Fuzzy Inference System to Evaluate Maturity of Green Information Technology

Green information technology is in the spotlight for organizations, helping them save money by using information technology (IT) to achieve the highest efficiency and thus reduce environmental impacts. One of the ways that can help organizations planning for deploying green IT is to evaluate green information technology maturity (GITM). Previous studies have referred to various criteria for green IT evaluation, most of which are qualitative criteria that are difficult to measure and evaluate in ambiguous conditions. The main objective of this study is to identify crucial criteria that affect the GITM level and to design a fuzzy inference system to assess the GITM level in any organization. While using a Mamdani Inference system, inputs can be verbal expressions or crisp values, and the output shows the level of maturity of green information technology. Since green IT knowledge is not modeled in previous studies, modeling it in the current study is a valuable step for organizations confused about various factors they should consider for going green. The main system criteria are the conditions of the data center, office environment, work practice, procurement, and corporate citizenship. Due to the generality of the model used for the knowledge base system development, organizations can use this system for the green IT maturity level determination. The presented inference system helps organizations understand their status of being IT green and plan for the following steps to accomplish their desired maturity level. The proposed inference system has been tested, validated, and used to determine the maturity level of Tehran municipality.

Keywords:

Green Information Technology , Green IT Maturity , Maturity Evaluation , Fuzzy inference system