The virtualization success at California State University, East Bay (CSUEB), is a good example of cleaning up a mess with good practices. But plan ahead. Do research prior to and during the project and include energy savings in the justification by projecting cost savings. Look to utility companies for guidance and incentives/rebates as they are constantly tweaking their incentive models. Indeed, some require applications to be filed before the project starts.
Also, don't forget to look for server incentives – PG&E, for instance, pays $200 for every server reduced (net). Other equipment may qualify as well. Consider using outside experts such as those at Wikibon’s Conserve IT service.
Action Item: Adopt both a short-term and a long-term view. In the case of CSUEB, it must move its data center after the virtualization project finished in order to strengthen the old building to withstand earthquakes, and the remote replication technologies that 3PAR provides could be used to avoid a long outage. It is possible that 3PAR or other vendors will provide “loaner” equipment to assist in this relocation and generate another success story.
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