Allstate Insurance: Software plays into green strategies

Allstate's approach to green IT was to start out by proving a concept and then scaling it into other areas. But Anthony Abbattista, vice president of technology solutions, says employees quickly caught on. "Once we had some small successes, we marketed them a little bit and were pleasantly surprised at the pickup," he says. For instance, the initial plan for the new data center was to work toward a LEED Bronze certification, he says. But when IT realized how good the business case was, it began working with the property group to strive for -- and achieve -- the more stringent Gold certification.

IT has also renewed its commitment to collaboration tools, to reduce the need for employee travel. Already, with the help of VoIP technology, virtual desktops and videoconferencing, more employees are working from home, either full or part time. The number of full-time home-based workers in IT has risen by 10% in the past two years, Landreth says.