Recent surveys by CDW, GreenFactor, and others have revealed that many IT decisionmakers want their IT organizations to go green but are slow in making that happen because of barriers such as the cost and complexity of implementing green IT solutions. Fortunately, suppliers and utilities are helping to break down those barriers. Utilities are offering rebates and incentives to businesses that reduce their energy consumption. For example, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) offers several different programs, including a $15 rebate for every networked PC that's licensed with qualified power-management software. Suppliers, in turn, are offering power-management products that can help businesses reduce the amount of energy their IT equipment uses.
One of those suppliers is Autonomic Software. Starting on October 6, Autonomic Software will be offering Power Conservation software as part of its ANSA Platinum Suite, a solution that automates security and system management processes, such as patch and asset management and software distribution. With Power Conservation, IT administrators and managers can set and implement energy policies for PCs, servers, and other networked devices in order to reduce their energy expenditures and IT carbon footprint.
"You don't have to be a tree hugger to save the environment," said Autonomic Software CEO Tony Gigliotti in a recent interview. "You can save money and save the environment at the same time."
"Energy costs are just another of the growing list of cost categories IT managers and executives are tasked with managing. We’ve simply extended our technology to turn energy savings into a highly automated, green, policy-driven, systemic process," said Gigliotti.
Had my discussion with Gigliotti been in person rather than over the phone, I'm sure I would've seen his face turn a bit pink, though, when he admitted, "Quite frankly, I'm embarrassed we didn't think of this sooner."
Power Conservation's features include policy-driven power management of distributed computers, fine-grained controls for power management settings, a centralized GUI, and distributed Wake-On-LAN to synchronize systems maintenance processes with power conservation. For more information about Power Conservation, go to Autonomic Software's website.