The Best Practices Guide to Sustainable IT aims to provide federal agencies with guidelines for procuring products and services that meet energy consumption standards, as mandated by the 2020 Energy Act. It reflects policies established by executive orders and OMB memos, and emphasizes the importance of investing in IT sustainability to help achieve the goals outlined in the Federal Sustainability Plan.

The guide covers several key areas, including the acquisition of hardware that aligns with sustainability guidelines, implementing sustainable practices in enterprise data centers, tracking usage effectiveness, and evaluating the procurement of new hardware versus maintaining legacy systems. It also discusses sustainability considerations for cloud computing and integrating these practices into existing IT plans.

Federal agencies are expected to enhance their sustainability efforts by following the guide's recommendations, which include procuring energy-efficient products and services. This shift not only aims to meet the White House's benchmarks for sustainability but also presents an opportunity for agencies to rethink their IT strategies and contribute positively to the overall sustainability ecosystem.