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Another green alternative to buying brand-new equipment is to purchase refurbished servers. Clearly, using equipment for longer has an environmental impact not only in terms of disposal, but also in terms of building and shipping new equipment and the consequent carbon emissions.

While a refurbished server won't be right for

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every company, Zahl Limbuwala, chair of the British Computer Society Data Centre Specialist Group, believes they still have a role to play in a business.

"Buying refurbished equipment is about being intelligent about your company's needs," he said. "Realistically you're not going to get the same support you'd get from the original manufacturer, but if you can live with that I see no reason not to use recycled equipment for non-critical businesses functions."

Although if you're considering this route, you should make sure the machines have been fully tested and come with acceptable warranties.

Next: Thin clients and desktops

How to make your business green