A representative from eBay has claimed that all firms face the same IT challenges.

Senior director of global foundation services at the firm Dean Nelson told hbr.org blogger Amy Gallo that the difference between larger firms like eBay and their smaller counterparts is simply scale. In his view, every organisation needs to focus on efficiency, flexibility and agility.

He made his remarks soon after the online auction site announced historic green data centre plans to use renewable energy as the primary source of power for the firm's server site in South Jordan, Utah. It is the first time a major technology company has made green energy its primary power source for a data centre.

"We're looking holistically at all aspects of the data center - the costs, the locations, and the efficiencies. Our approach is to solve the problem in our own backyard first and then take it from there," said Mr Nelson.

Following eBay's decision to pursue a green approach to powering its servers, president and chief executive John Donahoe described the company as a "trail blazer" and suggested the effects will be felt across the whole industry, reported ubergizmo.com. The company hopes to have the new data centre operational by next year.