Trustco's Green Tips
Switch it off!
Making sure that desktop PCs, monitors and printers are turned off at night, and/or using more effective power-saving modes on unused equipment.
Switch off unused servers. Power is often quietly being drawn upon by servers running unused applications, which sit unnoticed in a corner of the corporate data centre. If you conduct a rigorous audit, you'll likely find things in the data centre you can switch off.
Use multi-core processors
New dual and quad-core processors are faster than traditional chips and yet use less energy, and the latest generation of dual-core processors promise to consume about one third less power than their predecessors while offering up to 80% better performance. Moving from dual core to quad core offers additional performance gains of 40-70%, and the move from single core to quad core is even more compelling.
Others will opt to use more energy-efficient components such as LCDs rather than CRT monitors when buying new hardware.
Read more about HP's quad core processors here.Learn about blade systems from HP here.
Go thin client
Companies may benefit from moving away from distributed computing based on individual desktop PCs to a small, thin client server architecture. By almost every measure, the PC is more wasteful than any thin-client alternative, according to research from the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany. Even the most conservative estimate makes thin clients twice as energy efficient as PCs - including the power to run the central servers. It has been suggested that a 10-user system could save about 3,200kWh per year in direct electricity costs.
Thin-client devices require a fraction of the power of PCs, and the lack of moving parts extends the lifespan from fewer than three years to more than five. Hosted applications mean PCs no longer need the latest processors.
Trustco provides servers and complete thin client solutions.Virtualise & consolidate
Virtualisation and server consolidation can allow users to ‘do more with less’, allowing one large server to replace several smaller machines. This can reduce the power required and the overall heat produced. By reducing the number of servers in use, users can simplify their IT infrastructure, and reduce the power and cooling requirements.
Trustco also offers DataCore storage virtualisation.
Cut down on travel
Use video conferencing or web based collaboration wherever possible to avoid travel. Companies like Vodafone has made huge savings by insisting that employees cannot book flights without considering a videoconference first.
Minimise cabling
Instead of coaxial cable running alongside a telephone network with a separate data network within each building, a single IP network is becoming the norm. Higher bandwidth over copper and fibre resulting from new protocols and hardware lengthens the lifespan of networks. Wireless networking further empowers IT directors to provide services without heavy infrastructure investment.
Use Britain's already cool air
In the UK, "free air" cooling - where the building uses air draw from outside rather than cooling warm air that's already inside - can be effective for around 90% of the year.
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