Like many companies in the greens sector, Jenaly Technology Group’s commitments to sustainability can often fly under the radar. In this sense, you could say the Portsmouth-based IT firm would just assume let their work speak for itself.

But once you start looking at exactly what they provide for their clients and how, the true scope of Jenaly’s green efforts start coming into clearer focus.

Take The Rubber Group (TRG), a Somersworth manufacturing company specializing in rubber parts and components for the medical, transportation, and process control industries. While the quarter century-old company has long maintained a commitment to environmental responsibility – in 2005 they were awarded the Pollution Prevention Award from Governor John Lynch – they also knew they could be doing more to reduce their significant energy use.

Enter Jenaly, whom TRG had commissioned after becoming dissatisfied with their previous IT firm.

“Jenaly had been on our radar screen, but we were more than happy to make the switch” recalls Joe Snook, Customer Service Manager at TRG. “They’re definitely responsive, and service-wise they’re far more proactive as far as when issues pop up or whenever it’s time to upgrade our systems.”

Like many businesses, TRG had been using tapes to back up their data. Enter Jenaly, who transitioned the company over to a tapeless Backup and Disaster Recovery (BDR) system, thereby eliminating the mercury and other toxic chemicals contained in the tapes. Instead of being stored on mediums which are inherently unreliable – over time, the tapes often breakdown and can be rendered useless almost without warning – the data is now contained on an on-site appliance and remote data centers. The result is a system that is not only more reliable, but far more environmentally sustainable as well.

Then there’s “virtualization”. Virtualization technology allows businesses to consolidate multiple servers into fewer physical servers, thereby enhancing overall efficiency. It used to be that The Rubber Group would have multiple standalone servers on site – taking up space and energy in equal abundance. Jenaly’s solution? Consolidate the servers into one virtual server, in the process saving space, energy, and money.

What’s more, TRG’s Virtual System Administration (VSA) agreement allows Jenaly to monitor their systems 24 hours a day, seven days a week – running maintenance, updates and system patches overnight. This allows Jenaly to fine tune a company’s system without being in the office, saving on fuel, reducing pollution and saving the client money in travel expenses.

Jenaly’s menu of efficiency options can be applied to companies both large and small, says Client Advocate Ellen Sargent. TRG might seem like a big company, but with a full-time staff of seven, “going green” – while welcome – still took a backseat to more pressing concerns. Namely, the bottom line.

“The Rubber Group is a perfect example of a client who wasn’t necessarily coming to us and saying they wanted to green their operations,” notes Sargent. “They came to us with their problems, we provided the solutions, and in doing that we were able to make them far more efficient. Sometimes the green result is really the happy byproduct, even for companies who have a history of environmentally friendly practices.”

Jenaly’s efficiency and conservation efforts aren’t limited exclusively to the technology realm, or even what they provide for their myriad clients. Indeed, the nine- member staff are encouraged to set up home offices and work remotely when feasible, in the process significantly lowering the office’s carbon footprint. Even their software programs are often obtained over the Internet, in an effort to avoid packaging and shipping.

Taken together, Jenaly’s clever energy-saving practices paint a picture of a company ready to meet the challenges of 21st century technology, with an eye trained squarely on making sure those technologies are as sustainable as possible. Even if that’s not at the top of the client’s priority list.

In effort to tout their impressive green programs, in 2009 Jenaly was one of the first businesses – and the first full-fledged IT firm – to join Green Alliance, the Portsmouth-based green business union which helps certify and promote sustainability-minded businesses throughout the region.

While Jenaly will always do right by its clients, it’s clear that goal will be increasingly aligned with doing right by the environment.

“We’re ready to bring the greenest options to the client,” says Sargent. “We’re educated in what they are and how they work, and I think that really sets us apart from most IT firms out there today.”