Banks have been willing to invest heavily in data centers the past few years, even as the economy worsened.

The economics of such investment were more than compelling, the ROI extreme. For Citigroup, such investments are now paying off. The company's program has resulted in savings of $6 million a year on energy costs and a 3 percent reduction in its carbon footprint, according to ComputerWorld.  The bank was also able to reduce the number of data center it supports to 24 from 68 in 2005.

"All of the Citi data centers are designed with energy efficiency as a priority. For example, Citi's newly constructed data center in Georgetown, Texas, uses 800 kilowatts less power than conventional data centers with the same footprint, for a 30 percent reduction in energy costs. The facility also emits less carbon and consumes less water. Other green-IT efforts include a desktop standardization initiative that has simplified and standardized Citi's global desktop environment of more than 260,000 PCs and laptops."

The PR benefits have also been impressive, as lots of media outlets--including us--weighed in positively on some of these developments. Other banks have invested just as aggressively. The benefits are quantifiable, and we're likely continue to see positive coverage in this area.

For more:
- here's the article

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