Excerpt from: iTechnologyDesign
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| April 22, 2009 | | Start today on your green IT plan, here's the simplest items | I could not let earth day pass without a conservation related blog post, so here it is.
As I've said before.... Being green is great! Saving green (Money) while being green is even better.
Keep in mind, these are the simplest items, and we "techies" take for granted that everyone already knows this. That couldn't be further from the truth. Many people don't know these things, so they are worth repeating.
Below are the some of the simplest items that you can do to your home or business
computers to reduce your environmental impact as well as save money.
Enable Energy Saving Features
Turn on your computers energy saving features. Most every computer manufactured in the last 7 years has energy saving modes. If your computer is going to screen saver and you see something constantly then you need to adjust the settings so the monitor is turned completely off after x minutes. Many computers have an option to turn off hard disks after so many minutes or even go into sleep or hibernation. If you have the option between sleep or hibernation then choose hibernation. For those of you network admins, all of these setting can be configured through group policies and pushed down to the client stations. The cost to do this is nothing and the result of this action is energy savings.
Turn The Computer Off
When you are not using your computer turn it off. This goes for home as well as business. Did you know, most computers consume more power than a TV? I'm surprised how many people will turn off the TV before going to bed or leaving for the day, but these same people will leave the computer on 7x24x365. Turn it off. Again, the cost to take this action is nothing and the result is energy savings.
Consider Rebuild + Memory vs. Replace
Are you unhappy with the performance of your computer? I talk to probably a dozen people each week that are ready to throw away their 2-4 year old computer and buy yet another. In most cases simply adding some memory and erasing and re-installing the OS brings the machine back to a satisfying performance level.
This last recommendation is not solely directed at the user, but also at the IT professional. Next time a customer or user suggests replacement try suggesting a rebuild and some added ram. In order to do this right you need to ask what they do on their computer, for example if the only thing they use is Web and E-Mail then
it's a safe bet that rebuild + ram will fix the problem. If the user is a AutoCAD designer then you probably should just get them a new PC on order.
I have found in my own business this is very positive to the bottom line. Rather than a $1000 sale for a new PC that nets me $50-75 in markup, I convert the job to $200 in tech hours to rebuild the PC, netting me about $150. Ultimately the customer is happier, they saved money, and we eliminated the need to dispose of yet another computer.
Happy Earth Day!
iTechnology Design offers Green IT
consulting services throughout the country. We can assist you in
developing a comprehensive long term IT plan that will save money, and
reduce the environmental impact of your information technology systems.
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