Sustainable IT | Ted Samson

SynapSense employs wireless sensors to monitor and map datacenter health

Ted Samson — 2008-05-08T03:00:00-08:00

Measure, measure, measure: It's one of the pieces of advice repeatedly doled out to companies looking to make their datacenters more energy-efficient. Without question, it's a sound suggestion; if you don't know where you're starting from, how do you know where you should go or whether you've made any progress ? The real difficulty, however, lies in the measuring process. It can be time consuming. And once you've thoroughly measured the temperature, humidity, airflow, and energy consumption throughout your facility, you have a valuable snapshot -- but just for a while. As time passes and changes occur within your datacenter... READ MORE

Microsoft developers trim code internally to cut costs

Ted Samson — 2008-05-07T10:33:00-08:00

You likely know already what a resource hog Windows Vista is. The fat code has high system requirements and puts a heavy strain on your hardware, as evidenced by the data Randall Kennedy has collected through InfoWorld's Window Sentinel program. And guess what? Fat code also translates to higher energy consumption as a machine works extra hard to process queries. [Add your Windows systems to the exo.performance community, plus monitor how they specifically perform, with InfoWorld's Windows Sentinel tool.] The folks at Microsoft know this first-hand. Michael Manos, the company's chief of datacenters, made that abundantly clear as he touted... READ MORE

Six lessons learned at the Uptime Green Enterprise Computing Symposium

Ted Samson — 2008-05-01T03:00:00-08:00

"Green = efficiency = savings" was a recurring theme at this year's Uptime Institute Green Enterprise Computing Symposium in Orlando, Fla. It's a simple message, to be sure, but it gets right to the heart of the case for pursuing greener practices in the datacenter: Cutting waste does indeed mean that you're spending less money on purchases and upkeep; that you're making better use of what you've got; and that you're reducing your organization's environmental impact in the process. Grasping that concept isn't too difficult. The real challenge, one shared by the 400-plus attendees at the symposium, remains figuring out... READ MORE

Empowering people for the greener good

Ted Samson — 2008-04-24T03:00:00-08:00

Every day at the office, employees at your company face choices with implications for the environment and the company budget. "Am I going to power down my PC during my lunch break -- or leave it running?" "Should I print this entire twelve-page document, single-sided and in color -- or just print the four pages I need, double-sided and in black and white?" READ MORE

Study: Lack of standards slowing green datacenter initiatives

Ted Samson — 2008-04-22T14:25:04-08:00

Companies seeking to inject sustainable practices into their datacenter operations are hankering for clear standards to guide the way, according to results of a study conducted by Digital Realty Trust, a developer and manager of technology-related real estate. The good news is, plenty of organizations, from private companies to non-profits to the Feds, are working to develop standards. Among the respondents to the survey, comprising IT decision-makers at large North American corporations, 82 percent lamented that there is no clear industry standard for green datacenters. The figure is up from 75 percent compared to results from a similar survey Digital... READ MORE

5 tips for buying green desktop gear

Ted Samson — 2008-04-17T03:00:00-08:00

You may very well prefer to postpone the task of refreshing your fleet of desktop systems and monitors, an exercise that can be both expensive and time-consuming. But inevitably, machines break down or your needs change, so you have to bite the bullet. READ MORE

6 valuable green IT resources

Ted Samson — 2008-04-10T03:00:00-08:00

Embarking down the sustainable IT path can be pretty daunting. You may very well appreciate, in a general sense, the potential benefits you can reap from green IT, including lower costs and a better environmental track record. Fortunately, there are some valuable resources out there to assist you. Some sources might cost a bit of money. Some deliver information for free. And there's one that might not only provide some gratis guidance but will also help you pay for an energy-saving green-tech implementation. The following is a list of six valuable resources to consider tapping as you contemplate embracing green... READ MORE

Apple fights NYC over green apple logo

Ted Samson — 2008-04-07T10:36:00-08:00

Look at this logo for a moment: If you saw it on a reusable cloth shopping bag, would you think for a moment, "Hey, that must be Apple's new iBag!"? Apparently, Apple is worried that's the case. The above logo is actually the emblem of New York City's GreeNYC campaign, the Big Apple's move to encourage denizens and visitors to reduce pollution and greenhouse gases. In case you can't tell, the GreeNYC logo is a combination of the infinity symbol and a green apple, the implied message being something along the lines of, "Let's keep the Big Apple green for... READ MORE

IBM combines Systems i and p into greener Power System

Ted Samson — 2008-04-03T18:03:04-08:00

IBM has made some notable green strides with its newly unveiled line of Power System servers, according to an analysis piece by Joe Clabby. The water-cooling design for example, which brings H2O directly to the microprocessor, is pretty darn innovative and energy efficient. Overall, Clabby notes, the machine's "power, cooling, real-estate, and performance design features become even more pronounced when compared against a 64-core HP Superdome system. An 8-core Power 550 server offers 16 percent better performance than a comparably equipped HP Superdome; uses 98 percent less space; and uses 91 percent less energy." One other green point of interest:... READ MORE

Harnessing datacenter heat for savings

Ted Samson — 2008-04-03T03:00:00-08:00

The heat that pours out of your datacenter machinery represents a hefty chunk of your monthly utility bills. After all, were it not for that heat waste, you wouldn't be pouring dollars into running that pricey cooling equipment to ensure your valuable hardware doesn't get fried. While many vendors out there are devising CRAC hardware and cooling technologies for more efficiently and inexpensively beating the datacenter heat, some organizations are taking another tack: putting all of that hot air to valuable reuse, which can have pleasant financial and environmental benefits. Datacenters are responsible for a goodly amount of heat waste,... READ MORE

Event: Uptime, IT heavyweights to tackle data center power crisis

Ted Samson — 2008-04-02T15:22:08-08:00

IT energy consumption is growing at such a rapid pace that we'll need another 30 power plants in the United States alone to meet demand. That is one of the findings of a recent datacenter study by the Uptime Institute pointing to a power crisis looming on the horizon. The study revealed that "its largest datacenter members have gone from an annual energy consumption rate of 6 percent for the years 1999 to 2005, to 20 to 30 percent in each of the years 2006 and 2007." [For more on the study, read Datacenters heading for a cash crunch.] Running... READ MORE

The ROI of green IT

Ted Samson — 2008-03-27T03:00:00-08:00

There's no question that some companies pursue green solutions because it's the right thing to do. But plenty of them also do it for the cost savings. Thus, I'm continually surprised by the persistent assumption that being environmentally conscious and fiscally smart are at odds with one another. Talking about the state of the country's lagging economy, a guest on NPR recently suggested that the looming recession should compel organizations to abandon green IT initiatives. He essentially dismissed green efforts as "feel-good" projects that don't do much to help an organization's bottom line in the short- or midterm. Apparently, this... READ MORE

Feds devise program to help datacenter operators cut energy waste, costs

Ted Samson — 2008-03-26T11:50:00-08:00

As part of its larger effort to reduce the strain the datacenters put on the U.S. energy grid and the environment, the EPA has launched an initiative to develop an Energy Star rating for datacenter infrastructures. READ MORE

Xerox develops Sustainability Calculator for doc tech

Ted Samson — 2008-03-24T21:55:00-08:00

Add Xerox to the list of vendors adding green-o-meter functionality to their wares. The company Tuesday will unveil what it dubs a Sustainability Calculator, designed to help customers evaluate the environmental impact of their document-technology systems, such as printers, faxes, and copiers. ]]> READ MORE

Carbon-measuring software evolves

Ted Samson — 2008-03-20T03:00:00-08:00

How do you accurately and meaningfully measure the predicted carbon impact of a new project? After all, you don't want to discover -- too late -- that its environmental impact has made you Public Enemy No. 1 for Greenpeace. In an effort to aid companies as they struggle to balance profitability and environmental responsibility, vendors are rolling out increasingly sophisticated tools. Among those vendors is ILOG, which this week released a Carbon Footprint extension to its LogicNet Plus XE supply-chain application. This remarkable tool serves a valuable function: It's designed to help companies evaluate the impact that various supply-chain network... READ MORE