This post originated at IT Services Info & News | Ascensha. Ascensha is a Portland, OR IT company that manages and develops network infrastructure for Oregon small businesses.

Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs) stand to benefit greatly from cloud computing. This green computing technology allows companies to pay for server space on a pay-as-you-go basis. In this way, cloud computing frees SMB owners from purchasing and renewing expensive software and on-site storage for each employee. Instead of maintaining stacks on stacks of servers on-site, cloud computing users purchase space on remote servers maintained by companies such as Amazon and Google. Everything from basic word processing programs to complex data analysis applications can then be accessed through the internet, rather than stored on individual hard drives or local servers. In addition to instant scalability and lowered operating costs, a major benefit of cloud computing is that it allows remote access of business applications and documents.

So, in addition to saving money on overhead storage and electricity costs associated with on-site server maintenance, cloud computing allows users to access company records and projects from anywhere with internet access. Here are a few benefits of remote access:

1) Employees can easily work nearly anywhere, anytime. Many workers dream of working part- or full-time from home. Cloud computing allows employees to access company records from home, or anywhere with internet access. Cloud computing allows you to be a more flexible manager.

2) Improved Document Sharing. Human Resources Document sharing on the cloud is easy– and some applications even allow multiple users to collaborate in real-time. Cloud computing removes the hassles associated with merging several versions of the same document.

3) Automatic Disaster Planning. Storing data on-site requires companies to periodically create back-up copies of all data, which are then stored off-site, in case a flood, fire or other natural disaster destroys the office space. Because company data is stored remotely in cloud computing, there is less need to worry about accessing data during and after a disaster. If your company documents are stored online, you’ll be able to access them regardless of local conditions.

Overall, remote access makes any business more flexible and able to respond to clients in real time.

Sound too good to be true? Well, there is a dark side to the cloud. Because there are no universal security standards for cloud technology, it can be difficult to figure out which service providers are the best for your business. For this reason, it’s a good idea to depend on expert advice from IT consultants when transferring your business to the cloud.

Additional Resources:
Five Questions to Ask Before Storing Data in the Cloud
How to Make SaaS Work for Your Business
Is Your Business Prepared for a Disaster?

Top photo: Bruce Clay

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This post originated at IT Services Info & News | Ascensha. Ascensha is a Portland, OR IT company that manages and develops network infrastructure for Oregon small businesses.

Humans are fond of creating fancy terms for simple phenomena. Nowhere is this truer than in IT. The term we’ll be dissecting today is “PC power management,” or simply “power management” in some circles. Stumbling around the web, you may have spotted this buzz term and wondered what the heck it meant. Here’s a basic definition: power management is turning off computers when they’re not in use.

Saving money is the number one reason why organizations should pay attention to power management. Of course, no one is going to argue against helping the earth by “going green” at the office, but most executives are far more persuaded by a different kind of green: money. By applying power management techniques, companies can save $20 to $60 per machine annually in energy bills.That may not sound like much, but multiply that figure across all of your computers, and you’ll see why even profit-centric CEOs are motivated to pay attention to power settings.

There are three pathways to power management:

1) Buy Energy-Efficient Machines. Some computers, like EnergyStar machines, automatically enter sleep mode after a certain amount of idle time. If you’re making an investment in new technology, you can save money down the road by choosing energy efficient models. Of course, if you already have a fleet of operational computers, you may not be ready for the capital investment this route requires. Read on for other options.

2) Educate Employees and Change Machine Settings. This is the least expensive route to power management. Begin with a survey of 5-10% of your employees. Figure out a baseline of energy consumption, so that you can see improvements over time. Do your employees turn off their computers at the end of their shifts? Or are screen-savers blasting needlessly during off-hours? Once you figure out how your employees are currently handling power issues, you can set company-wide policies. A good rule of thumb is that machines should be set to enter “Standby” or “Hibernate” modes after 30 to 60 minutes of inactivity. If you want to save even more energy and money, set machines to enter low-energy status after 5-20 minutes of inactivity. The weakness of this power management technique is that it’s only as consistent as the human beings that carry it out. Some workers will be frustrated at having to wait for their machines to power up. As a result, many organizations find that they don’t save as much money as they anticipated. If your power-down campaign is less effective than you’d like, it’s time to pull out the big guns: software.

3) Employ Power Management Software. A final method of power management is installing open-source or licensed software. Many companies start with free power management software, such as EZ Wizard and EZ GPO. Others find that they need more sophisticated solutions. For instance, Verizon initially installed EZ GPO, but later paid for power management software that included Wake-on-LAN capabilities. (Wake-on-LAN turns on computers for midnight backup and patches, which saves employees’ precious time during the work day.) If you find you need something stronger than the open-source options, you may be able to obtain a rebate through your power company. Pacific Gas & Electric, for instance, rebates $15 per computer, which basically offsets the cost of power management software. The Department of Energy’s DSIRE (Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency) program lists rebates by state. Even if you find you must pay for power management software, your organization will save money on energy bills.

Whichever path you choose, your CIO and CEO will be ecstatic to see savings on your energy bill. Set up power management today and watch your energy bills shrink.

Additional Resources:
5 Ways to Improve Performance on a Laptop or PC
Is Cloud Computing Really Green?
What about when “green” isn’t good enough?

Top photo by Michael Napoleon.

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This post originated at IT Services Info & News | Ascensha. Ascensha is a Portland, OR IT company that manages and develops network infrastructure for Oregon small businesses.

Those who make their livings making predictions and coming up with cute names are calling 2010 “The Year of the Cloud.” To my mind that phrase brings up an image of Yoda in Dinotopia, but it’s really referring to the shift from hardware-based data storage to data storage in “the cloud,” i.e., online. The advent of Google docs and any number of other online storage systems means that companies can now store their information in The Cloud, rather than maintaining costly server centers on site. For the small- to medium-sized business (SMB), the switch to The Cloud offers an unprecedented opportunity to customize software usage and data storage. As we’ve explained in previous posts, if The Cloud allows companies to use pay-as-you-go models for software (usually referred to as SaaS, or Software as a Service), and to store information online, it could indeed be Green, since businesses would need far fewer IT resources on-site.

However, that approach only considers the end-user, in this case, an SMB. And as books like Cradle to Cradle have pointed out, if we’re really going to change our nasty, polluting habits on this planet, we need to consider the whole life cycle of a product, and/or every step in a service procedure. To apply that approach to cloud computing, we must realize that just because the data and software is not maintained on site does not mean that it’s not being juggled elsewhere. Indeed, Google, Yahoo, and every other Cumulus in The Cloud must maintain gigantic server stations to power our time online.

Internet users often don’t think about how much energy The Cloud requires, but Greenpeace does. In their 2010 Make IT Green report, Greenpeace predicts that by 2020, The Cloud will pull 1,963 billion kilowatt-hours of energy, which translates to half of the United State’s annual energy needs. To put it in less Americentric terms, that’s more than the amount of energy used annually by Brazil, France, Germany and Canada combined. (Dang, we Americans use a boatload of energy!)

So what does Greenpeace recommend? That internet leviathans like Google and Yahoo build server farms fueled by renewable energy. For instance, Greenpeace gave Facebook less-than-stellar marks for building a server farm in Prineville, Ore.—where coal is the primary source of electricity. In response, Facebook stated that the local energy company, PacificCorp, is actually the “#1 utility owner operator of renewables.” Facebook also highlighted Oregon’s requirement that 25% of the state’s power be renewable by 2025.

As we grow increasingly reliant on The Cloud, groups like Greenpeace will only scrutinize online giants more closely. On the government side, federal regulations and recommendations are beginning to catch up with the cloud factory—EnergyStar standards will soon be in place to guide the construction of new data centers.  But what can an individual user do to help color The Cloud Green? That’s a good question. While it’s encouraging that terms like “Cool IT” are being thrown around, the individual user should also take some responsibility for The Cloud—after all, each of us represents a few million water droplets of data in it.

SMB managers can help by choosing EnergyStar-compliant computers. You may also consider purchasing laptops over desktops, since laptops use up to 90% less energy. Beyond purchasing decisions, you can help reduce carbon emissions by encouraging your employees to properly set their energy settings. Screensavers, for instance, are not a wise choice, since they require the monitor to stay powered on. Direct your employees to choose a hibernate or sleep option instead. If we all do our part to be conscientious of how we use The Cloud, we can have our internet cake and eat it too.

Additional Resources:
Green IT: Cloud Computing Solutions for Small Business
What about when “green” isn’t good enough?
Three Essential Questions for Evaluating SaaS

Via Solve Climate.

Top photo by Jim Sneddon.

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This post originated at IT Services Info & News | Ascensha. Ascensha is a Portland, OR IT company that manages and develops network infrastructure for Oregon small businesses.

In a world where resources are becoming more and more costly, conserving those resources not only helps the environment but has a clear impact on an organization’s bottom line. The greatest energy consumer for any given small to mid-size business is, perhaps, its data center. Yet, for many businesses, the amount of data center electricity usage seems like a necessity…

How can you be sure your organization’s data center is maximizing its efficiency and minimizing its energy usage?

Energy expert Neil Rasmussen published a whitepaper called “Implementing Energy Efficient Data Centers” that discusses some technical solutions to optimizing energy consumption for data centers. First, he points out that many businesses are spending more than necessary on data center energy costs, maintaining that “simple no-cost decisions made in the design of a new data center can result in savings of 20-50% of the electrical bill.”

He goes on to explain that there are two types of energy reduction for data centers: temporary consumption avoidance and structural consumption avoidance. The main difference between the two methods is that the first avoids energy use without reducing installed power capacity and the second avoids energy use with reducing installed power capacity.

Unfortunately, for those without a specific understanding of power and energy as they relate to data centers, the rest of Rasmussen’s paper becomes a rather technical discussion of solutions, suited only for knowledgeable IT staff or computer technicians.

Still, the paper emphatically concludes by stating those solutions have the ability, in some cases, to save companies tens of thousands of dollars over time with little to no upfront investment. If that sounds too good to be true, well, it might be. But a claim like that is at least worth having your local information technology management firm look into.

[photo: mrkathika]

Additional Resources:

Data Management Tips for Your Small Business

Is Your Backup Data Secure?

Green IT and the Bottom Line

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This post originated at IT Services Info & News | Ascensha. Ascensha is a Portland, OR IT company that manages and develops network infrastructure for Oregon small businesses.

An interesting interview caught my attention today concerning the realities of print and online media. Many companies are “going green” with e-commerce, offering products and services every where from eBooks to eBills. But is converting to digital really greener than sticking with paper? The answer might not be as clear-cut as you think.

News media innovation blogger Robert Ivan interviewed Don Carli, a leading expert on the sustainability of media supply chains. During the conversation, Carli had some very enlightening comments regarding the “greenness” of digital and print media. For instance:

“There is no question that print media could do a better job of managing the sustainability of its supply chains and waste streams, but it’s a misguided notion to assume that digital media is categorically greener. Computers, eReaders, and cell phones don’t grow on trees and their spiraling requirement for energy is unsustainable.”

Carli makes the point that while many people think shifting communication to the digital realm means going green and saving trees, it may actually do more to adversely affect our environment. For example, an eReader needs a computer in order to read. Consequently, that computer requires valuable resources to manufacture and constant energy to function. Furthermore, when it’s time for an upgrade, the old computer is unlikely to be efficiently disposed.

Yet, at the same time, similar arguments can be made for the life-cycle of print and paper — making it difficult to establish a clear greener medium of communication. However, as new technologies like virtualization continue to develop and improve, it appears as if digital media will eventually win out by a clear margin.

For the time being, the decision to choose one or the other could significantly impact the bottom lines of small and large businesses alike. Be sure to consult with your IT solutions provider to discover which will work best for you.

[photo: jurvetson]

Additional Resources:

Green IT: Cloud Computing Solutions for Small Business

What Does Green IT Mean Today?

Green IT and the Bottom Line

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This post originated at IT Services Info & News | Ascensha. Ascensha is a Portland, OR IT company that manages and develops network infrastructure for Oregon small businesses.

Last month, we answered two imperative questions concerning virtualization: what is it, and why is it important? Today, we want to address a third question regarding the relatively new technology, that is, what are virtualization’s implications for small business?

Ascensha recently published a new article, Virtualization and Small Business, which deals largely with this very same question. The article highlights the advantages and disadvantages of implementing virtualization technologies into small businesses, namely server virtualization. Listed among the advantages:

• Long-term cost savings
• Reduced maintenance
• Reduced downtime
• Energy savings (and reduced energy costs)
• Environmentally-friendly
• OS flexibility

The disadvantages included:

• Greater upfront investment
• Information security
• Increased complexity
• Potential upgrades/maintenance

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This post originated at IT Services Info & News | Ascensha. Ascensha is a Portland, OR IT company that manages and develops network infrastructure for Oregon small businesses.

As the heralds of global warming and climate change seemingly sound louder every day, it is a wonder not everyone’s made the switch to green, environmentally speaking. Perhaps it could be the sad-but-true fact that not everyone cares about the environment. Thankfully, though, green IT is providing solutions to more than just green house gases; in fact, it poses an answer to something most everyone cares about — the bottom line.

Ascensha recently published an article regarding the potential implications of green IT in business, specifically how cutting-edge technology can affect an organization in big and small ways. The article addresses a handful of green computing solutions, including briefly mentioning cloud computing as an example. With cloud computing specifically, there are a number of ways your company can save time, money, and valuable resources.

For instance, two tech support issues that many organizations encounter are a) data storage and b) server support. Cloud computing not only greatly increases capacity but efficiency in both these areas. Traditionally, the solution would be purchasing new hardware that runs the risk of 1) becoming obsolete sooner than later and 2) requiring unforeseen maintenance. Rather, utilizing a pay-as-you-go model in the cloud offers more flexibility, less hassle, and will definitely save you money in the long run. In effect, you’re not buying new hardware or wasting time and resources on maintenance, and you’re even saving money on energy costs because you’re not actually powering anything but a single computer — now, you’re environmentally friendly.

Green IT, specifically cloud computing, may be one of the best financial investments your organization makes. It doesn’t get much more efficient than paying for the exact amount of space and capacity you need for as long as you need it. If it helps, just think of cloud computing as a bank — your money is safe inside, and you might even be seeing a little return on your investment.

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This post originated at IT Services Info & News | Ascensha. Ascensha is a Portland, OR IT company that manages and develops network infrastructure for Oregon small businesses.

According to an article I read earlier this year, the term “green IT” has gone through a number of changes, including its definition and main objective. At first, green IT was all about being environmentally-friendly — reducing your carbon footprint and such. As energy costs began to rise, however, green IT quickly transitioned into a solution for cutting costs and saving money. Now, it seems as though green IT has morphed yet again into a new concept for many companies.

In effect, businesses are now talking about green IT in terms of “business value” or “total cost of ownership.” These concepts adopt a wider perspective when it comes to going green. Rather than implementing a handful of initiatives aimed at marketing an environmentally-friendly face or reducing departmental costs, companies are taking a wholistic approach. The trend, now, is discovering ways to offer and utilize entirely green IT services, not simply programs.

The article’s author, Michael Vizard, puts it this way:

What customers are looking for is a more thoughtful approach…. That means they don’t want to be pitched a bunch of random products that happen to be green, but rather an overall transformation of their IT environment based on a green solution that allows them to…lower the total cost of computing, while improving the company’s environmental track record.

“Going green” is no longer a cheap publicity stunt or hoop that companies feel obligated to jump through; it’s a real-time solution to the growing demand of effectively and efficiently operating IT services.

[photo: greenbang.com]

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This post originated at IT Services Info & News | Ascensha. Ascensha is a Portland, OR IT company that manages and develops network infrastructure for Oregon small businesses.

I read an article today about green IT initiatives. As a Portland native, it seems as if I have been  “green” all my life, so it came as no surprise to learn that more companies are embracing the concept of green IT services. What did surprise me, however, was why.

With green IT, it is all about the bottom-line. According to a recent survey by the International Data Group (IDC), 51 percent of respondents who said energy efficiency was a top priority said so because it was directly related to saving money.

Vernon Turner, senior vice president of enterprise infrastructure at IDC, affirmed that the numbers made sense: “We can talk about green technology and what we want to do with that, but unless it actually does save us money and is driven by the cost of energy itself, it’s going to be further down the priority list of things to do.”

Turner also noted the recent economic downturn has seriously challenged the validity of green IT initiatives. And it’s true. With small and big businesses alike attempting to weather today’s financial crisis, every decision comes down to money — if an initiative isn’t saving or making money, well, it’s simply no longer an initiative.

The crux, now, hinges on the ability to discover and implement green IT solutions that combine meeting the needs of customers and positively affecting a company’s bottom-line.

[photo: greenerworking.com]

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