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Peeling the Onion
Are agencies ready to make the most of data center consolidations? Beat the Heat
These tips can help effectively and efficiently cool high-density computing environments. Brief Byte
Where do agencies expect to reap cost savings by reducing footprint? NComputing X550
Desktop virtualization kit supports up to six users from a single PC. Making the Most of Virtualization
Just like their federal counterparts, state government IT organizations have been adopting virtualization. In Yuma County, Ariz., we were an early adopter and began using server virtualization technology more than three years ago. Now, nearly half of the county's 99 servers have been virtualized. A Greener Footprint
You can create a more efficient printing program by centralizing the operations, taking advantage of device settings and getting users to join the cause. Desk Mate
Power and (relative) portability. What more could you want in a desktop replacement? Get Physical
Make sure your data center's infrastructure helps rather than hinders your agency's service delivery demands. Stay Cool
Try out these five hot ideas for keeping your systems cool and your power demand low. 6 Ways to Rein In IT Spending
Virtualization and shared services can help contain IT costs in a tight economy. |
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It's Getting Easier to Be Green
These are busy times for information technology shops when it comes to buying environmentally friendly desktop and notebook computers.
For the first time, there is a standard to help agencies make buying decisions. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers has given the official nod to IEEE 1680, the first U.S. standard on buying green desktop and notebook computers and monitors. It publicly released the standard at the end of April. And, in June, there will be an online tool, at www.epeat.net to help apply the standard to actual buys.
While the Environmental Protection Agency created the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool for all large buyers of desktop and notebook systems, government agencies are a major target of the initiative given that federal agencies spend more on IT annually than any other company or organization in the world.
Seeking Help
Agencies have clamored for help on how to make smart green systems purchases. Buyers “want consistent environmental criteria for comparing and selecting computers and monitors,” says Holly Elwood, project manager of EPA’s Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Program.
Some big federal buys plan to apply EPEAT, including the Homeland Security Department’s $6 billion FirstSource IT commodities buy, NASA’s $4 billion Science and Engineering Workstation Procurement IV, and the Veterans Affairs Department’s $4 billion PC Hardware and Software 3. Meanwhile, makers of desktop and notebook systems and monitors have begun work to design products to the meet the criteria, including Apple, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, NEC, Panasonic and Sharp Electronics.
The effort focused on what will “foster green product design by setting challenging, yet realistic criteria,” says Larry Chalfran, executive director of the Zero Waste Alliance, EPA’s partner on the effort. Chalfran and Elwood led the IEEE 1680 Working Group.
The Green Electronics Council, which won a grant in February from EPA, will begin populating the EPEAT site with product ratings at three levels: bronze, silver and gold. EPA has identified 22 required criteria for a bronze rating and then 32 optional items that can earn a product a silver or gold. These criteria mesh with the new standard.
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