| May 2008
In this issue: ■ Declare War on Paper
■ Cover of CRN
■ Turn Off Your PC?
■ Earthsmart
■ The Problem with Power
■ Extend Battery Life
■ Case Study
■ It’s Not Easy Being Green
■ Opportunities
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Earthsmart Did you know that in addition to effecting your business communications, online threats also contribute to our growing climate crisis? Viruses and spyware often draw on the processing power of your computer, even when you aren’t using it. This consumes energy and adds to CO2 emissions. By using MXINSPECT services you can protect your business and reduce your overall energy consumption . . . and your electric bills. That’s earth smart. The Problem With Power
We live in the Information Age where countless data is created, transmitted, and stored. We live in the Electronics Age where numerous electric-powered machines aid in business and household tasks, as well as entertain and inform us. The reality of living in this time of technological innovation is that the power to run these machines can’t keep up (at least not yet). What was built years ago for powering factories producing manufactured goods is struggling to adapt to provide continuous, sufficient-grade power to sensitive electronics processing valuable information. Read on to find out about the many power events that affect your critical data. 4 Tips to Extend the Life of your Laptop Battery
by Christopher Elliott
reprinted with permission from the Microsoft Small Business Center
On a recent stopover at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, I flipped open my laptop PC, hoping to chip away at the 7,000-some e-mail messages that had accumulated since leaving Anchorage, Alaska, four hours earlier. “Don’t even think about it,” my laptop screen flashed back at me contemptuously (I’m paraphrasing the error message a little here). “I’m out of juice.” Read on Please share this newsletter with anyone who might be interested. | Declare War on Paper
by Jane Cage, COO, HTSHere at the office I refer to myself as the “Anti-Paper” . . . It drives me crazy when I see the amount of information everyone sends to the printer when that same information is available on the screen. In this special “green” issue of our newsletter, it seems like the right time to talk about the vast number of trees we kill each year because we can’t get past the perception that we have to hold paper in our hand to be certain an item is real – or on the chance we will ever need it again. There are three problems with relying on paper. First, there is no fault tolerance for paper, except another piece of paper – ironic, isn’t it? Second – paper can only be in one physical location. Both of us can’t look at the client invoice at the same time. How many times have you looked for information to find out it was on someone else’s desk? Third – paper can only be filed one way, and therefore only retrieved in the way it was filed. That kind of limitation has real effects on how well a company can function – should invoices be filed by number or by client? Should they be filed by date for easier removal to an off-site location? Technology today has given us many great alternatives to printing to paper – some of which you probably have right on your own computer. Microsoft One Note 2007 has a built-in printer driver installed that allows you to send anything you would send to a printer into One-Note for future retrieval and use. I’ve found it to be invaluable for copies of contracts, statements, even order confirmations that before I would have sent to the printer. SharePoint is another great alternative you may already have on your network. Rather than printing copies for every member of your team, why not post the document to SharePoint for everyone to access? We stopped printing phone lists for distribution long ago. It was so much easier to post changes and find the latest copy on the SharePoint site. If you own a copy of a Adobe Acrobat writer, why not use it to file away information you may need to recall at a later date?The most efficient way to deal with the deluge of paper is through the use of a document management system. A document management system is really a database of images. You can decide what index fields are important to you and then find the image based on any or all of the characteristics you choose. More capable systems include the ability to automatically read portions of an image so that the index data you need is filled in automatically. My advice – think before you print – not only could you save a tree – you might actually be able to find the information you need again if you become “tech-smart” about what you do! |
| | {e}Mazzanti on Cover of CRN!
It’s Easier To Be Green | CRNJan 22, 2007 Whether or not you believe in global warming, get used to the color green. Jennifer Shine, president of eMazzanti Technologies, Hoboken, N.J., already has. Growing public awareness around environmental issues is ready fuel for her sales and marketing pitches for things such as managed services, thin-client computing solutions and energy-efficient firewalls. Read the entire article! |
| Do You Need to Turn Off Your PC at Night?
by Monte Enbsyk
Reprinted with permission from the Microsoft Small Business CenterFor many years now, I’ve been shutting off my computer at night. But I’m now convinced you can leave your computer on at night and still conserve as much energy. If you’re a Windows user (Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows Me), just set up your PC to “hibernate” overnight. “Hibernate” powers down your monitor to about 5 watts of energy and your PC to 2.3 watts — virtually the same as turning your PC off (your monitor uses zero watts when turned off; more on this below). Either way, you save as much as $90 a year in power costs compared to a PC left on with a 3D screen saver running. “Well, duh. Welcome back from the Disco Era,” many of you are thinking. You already knew all this. Maybe so, but the question keeps coming up, year after year: Should you shut your computer down at night or leave it running? Some time ago, I touched on the issue in a previous column — I essentially passed on the recommendation of the good folks at Energy Star, a product-labeling program sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, that “if you are going home for the day, turn it off.” “Andy in Austin” triggered my interest in revisiting the subject by raising the question in tech guru Kim Komando’s weekly e-mail newsletter. “Should I shut my computer down at night? Or is it better to leave it running?” he asked. Komando’s response, in a nutshell: “The truth is, it really doesn’t matter.” The truth is, if you use the “hibernate” feature of Windows XP (and previous versions including Windows 2000 and Windows Me), or even the “sleep” feature of most new Dell and other PC models, it really doesn’t matter much. Even the folks at Energy Star agree you save almost as much energy as you do turning off your computer for the night (minus unplugging it). And you won’t have to endure a lengthy “re-booting” process the next morning; your computer should “wake up” in 30 seconds or less. Again, I may not change my habits. I like the security of having it off (though locking your system or logging off is just as secure), and I like the ability to shake the cobwebs from my system on a daily basis. I also like not having to worry about any issues that may result from a power outage. But, with every minute I spend booting up in the morning, I can see why someone would rather leave their machine on. Continue |
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| | | Photo Firm Enhances Customer Service and Clips Costs Through Server Virtualization “I was most interested in the new virtualization features and capabilities, as resource savings were my chief concerns.”
How can eMazzanti services help your business succeed? Each month we highlight how a customer use of eMazzanti has helped their business increase productivity, improve or cut costs. View a complete list of case studies by organization name, title, or featured partner. From the site you can watch case study videos, download white papers, listen to a Podcast, or review the latest case study. Read the Case Study</span rel=”nofollow”> | It’s Not Easy Being Green
by David Tan, CTO, CHIPS
Traditionally, standard business practice for Information Technology has dictated that the primary focus of IT decisions and initiatives is based on the economic impact and viability. In other words, how much will it cost, and how much will it save me over time, and when will I recoup my investment. This mindset has started to change drastically in the last year or so, as companies adopt a Green IT mentality, and start to consider not only the economic impact of their decisions, but the environmental and social as well. The problem is, for IT, it’s not easy being green. Continue</span rel=”nofollow”> | | | Opportunities at
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