You are here: Home / 2010 / Archives for April 2010

A great initiative in Seattle

April 30, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Here’s a nice note from one of our team members in Seattle:

Hi Melissa,

I wanted to let you know (in case you didn’t already) about what the Seattle office did for Earth Day last week. We asked people to stay in for lunch instead of driving somewhere and to pay $5 for a BBQ lunch at the office. The money we raised is going to  go towards us purchasing legal ownership of a living Rainforest Tree in Brazil. The tree will never be destroyed or commercially exploited forever. We will purchase the tree in the Softchoice Seattle name and get a certificate of ownership and GPS locator map.People had a lot of fun and it was a fun Earth Day event.

Thanks,

Karly Billstein
Softchoice Seattle Office

Filed Under: Reducing Carbon Tagged With: , , , ,

Does your computer talk in its sleep?

April 30, 2010 by Leave a Comment

We almost tune it out these days–that quiet hum of a desktop computer in the cube next to us, or the one in the other room at home that you left downloading some files. We shouldn’t tune it out—because that hum is power being consumed. One study showed that 67% of desktop computers were left on when not being used—only 4% of which went to sleep.

Sleep mode allows a computer to stop consuming power without a complete shut down and restart. This mode is designed to save power when a computer is not being actively used—so why are so few computers making use of sleep? [Read more...]

Filed Under: Green IT, Reducing Energy Tagged With: , ,

Softchoice Makes Globe and Mail ‘Best Workplaces’ List for Fifth Year in a Row

April 28, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Toronto, ON – April 28, 2010 – Softchoice is delighted to announce it has again been named to the Globe and Mail’s list of “Best Workplaces in Canada”. Considered the ‘gold standard’ for evaluating exemplary workplaces, the annual award recognizes employers that have gone above and beyond in fostering environments that emphasize trust, open communication, camaraderie and opportunities for merit based advancement. Softchoice was one of only 75 organizations in all of Canada to receive this award.

“It is a great honor to be ranked on this prestigious list for the fifth consecutive year,” says David MacDonald, President and CEO of Softchoice Corporation. “This achievement tells us that as we expand our business and our value to customers, we continue to create opportunities for our people to grow and share in our success.”

Over the past three years Softchoice has broadened its portfolio of offerings to include the technical services and expertise required to design and implement some of today’s most advanced IT solutions. In doing so, the Company has created new trajectories for employees to grow professionally in their careers. In addition to providing new job opportunities in direct marketing, professional services and solution architecture, Softchoice employees are encouraged to develop leadership skills by participating on Softchoice’s Green Team as well as the Softchoice Cares Board – the employee-led steering committee responsible for guiding the Company’s philanthropic strategy.

“At the end of the day environment is everything,” says Maria Odoardi, Vice President of People. “We’re proud to offer an environment that provides so many avenues for people to grow both personally and professionally.”

The Best Workplaces award is administered by the Great Place to Work Institute of Canada. Companies that have been recognized through this program have been shown to consistently outperform their peers on the stock market over the long run.

Filed Under: Culture, Recognition Tagged With: , ,

Softchoice Named Canada’s Top Solution Provider for Fifth Year in a Row

April 27, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Toronto, ON – April 27, 2010 – Softchoice is proud to announce it has again been named Canada’s Top Solution Provider by Computer Dealer News magazine. At a gala event in Toronto, Softchoice was recognized as the country’s largest solution provider with special emphasis placed on the Company’s efforts to help organizations drive efficiency and reduce their overall IT footprint – from the desktop to the data center. This is the fifth year in a row that Softchoice has received this honor.
  
“Achieving this level of recognition says a lot about our commitment to providing customers with a broader and more comprehensive set of technology solutions and services,” said David MacDonald, President and CEO of Softchoice. “Our ability to succeed in a challenging environment has proved that our focus on helping organizations reduce costs and transform their operations through innovation has been the right one.”

Through selective acquisitions and steady organic growth Softchoice has made significant progress in combining the scale and efficiency of a large volume technology reseller with the technical expertise and personal touch of a local VAR. For customers this means being able to work with a provider capable of delivering a variety of solutions and services – from competitive pricing and reliable product fulfillment, to solution architecture, implementation and IT asset management services. These capabilities are particularly relevant as organizations begin upgrading aging infrastructure and take advantage of new offerings, including desktop virtualization and cloud computing.
 
“The Softchoice team should be commended on their accomplishments,” added Mr. MacDonald. “I can say with confidence that thanks to their hard work we are well positioned to meet the challenges ahead and to help our customers capitalize on the transformative power of IT.”

Filed Under: Recognition Tagged With: , , ,

Giving our hood a 20-minute makeover!

April 23, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Over 30 of our Toronto Branch employees participated in the City of Toronto’s 20-Minute Makeover in Liberty Village today. Enjoying the sun, fresh air and some community spirit we helped to make our neighborhood a cleaner place to work.

Now in its sixth year, the annual spring 20-Minute Toronto Makeover continues to attract community spirited volunteers. On Makeover day, more than 109,000 Torontonians head outdoors to their street, business area, park or schoolyard and picked up litter.

Filed Under: Reducing Waste, Volunteerism Tagged With: , , , ,

Organizations Reduce, Rather Than Shift, Emissions

April 22, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Reducing one’s carbon footprint is a daunting task. Every operational activity a business undertakes results, directly or indirectly, in carbon emissions. As businesses strive to “go carbon neutral,” they are faced with two choices: reduce operational carbon emissions, or invest in credits or emission-neutralizing efforts to “offset” emissions that cannot be avoided. Many organizations that have historically employed this “pollute and pay” philosophy are rethinking their strategy, and opting instead to make meaningful reductions in work environment CO2.

When corporate environmentalism first took off there was no easy way to cut operating carbon emissions. Instead, companies invested in a form of emissions trading by buying “carbon credits.” These credits, sold by a number of third-parties, are a way to cancel out their projected emissions. Common carbon credits include investment in renewable power or the planting of trees. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Reducing Carbon Tagged With: , ,