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

Is the greenest data center in the clouds?

August 31, 2010 by Leave a Comment

A New Report Reveals that the Most Efficient Data Center May be in the Clouds

The data center has long been the focus of IT departments looking to reduce overall IT operating costs because they consume enormous amounts of energy every year. According to the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the amount of electricity consumed by U.S. data centers doubled between 2000 and 2006 and is expected to double again by 2011. The EPA further estimates that data centers eat up approximately 1.5 percent of all electricity in the United States and that nearly a quarter of that power is wasted. This coincides with results gathered by analyst firm IDC, which states that the un-utilized server capacity in North America equates to more than 20 million servers. Amidst the current shift towards achieving maximum efficiency within the data center, two major IT players have set out to redefine the existence of the on-site data center.

Steve Denegri of Virtual Strategy Magazine recently released a report entitled “Microsoft and Google: Cloud Computing Dominance through Renewable Energy” – revealing that both Microsoft and Google are busy building massive, energy-efficient data centers, and plan to offer cloud computing services to businesses. The services will range from providing small-scale storage space or server power to providing an entire outsourced data center. [Read more...]

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

10 Tips to Green Your Direct Mail

August 31, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Client address changes, undeliverable mail and low response rates are among a few of the problems regularly experienced by business mailing campaigns. The problem becomes magnified when the costs of paper, printing and shipping are all worked into the equation. It is estimated that undeliverable- as –addressed (UAA) mail costs mailers over $6 billion a year. These costs extend to the United States post office, which annually spends over $2 billion (US) to process and sort UAA mail. The huge environmental impact compounds the issue, accounting for more than six million trees and over 300 million pounds of paper.

Whereas it’s often assumed that “going green” requires a costly investment in additional infrastructure, efficiencies are often as simple as re-examining existing practices and using a little creativity. A new Melissa Data whitepaper outlines 10 simple steps to reduce the cost and environmental impact of mailing campaigns all while increasing response rates.

  1. Correct and Standardize addresses before they are entered into the CRM database [Read more...]
Filed Under: Reducing Waste Tagged With: , , ,

Softchoice Named a ’50 Most Engaged Workplace’ by I Love Rewards™

August 30, 2010 by Leave a Comment

August 30, 2010 – Toronto – Softchoice is delighted to announce it has been named a ’50 Most Engaged Workplace’ by I Love Rewards™, a company specializing in employee reward and recognition solutions. The annual awards program recognizes top employers that display leadership and innovation towards engaging their employees.

“It is an honor to award top employers who understand the importance of their people,” said Razor Suleman, CEO and Founder, I Love Rewards. “Congratulations to this year’s winners. You are an inspiration to other businesses looking to drive engagement in their own organizations.”

The I Love Rewards’ 50 Most Engaged Workplaces Award™ panel of judges evaluated each organization based on key elements deemed essential for employee engagement. Softchoice received top marks for providing transparent and open communication across all levels of the business; a clearly defined corporate culture, vision and values; fostering an environment that rewards and recognizes top performance; offering opportunities for personal and professional growth; and balancing the bottom line with a strong emphasis on corporate social responsibility.

“We’re constantly striving to create a work environment that engages the whole person,” said David MacDonald, President and CEO of Softchoice. “This is really a team effort. Whether providing exceptional service to our customers, leading the charge into new areas of opportunity for our business, or volunteering through Softchoice Cares, I want to thank the people of Softchoice for making this such a dynamic place to be.”

Filed Under: Culture, Recognition Tagged With: , ,

Review: Live Green Show

August 30, 2010 by 2 Comments

On the weekend I had a chance to check out the  Live Green Show. There were two stages with live music and long line of vendors streaming up the street. One of the stages claimed to have the first bicycle powered sound equipment. It makes you wonder: How much energy are humans producing in their daily lives that is going to waste? Could we be outfitted in someway to produce power for other things? I see a lot of people at the gym running on machines that consume energy, but what if that treadmill charged their electronics while they ran, or powered the TV in front of them? It reminds me of the movie “The Matrix” where humans power machines to live in an virtual world. In a way, some of us are already doing that, aren’t we?

There were several government funded vendors at the show as well as several entrepreneurs pedaling their own innovations. The innovations ranged from cleaning cloths to organic free trade skin products, to rain collection devices. The rain collection barrel with eaves trough attachment again reminding me again that we are letting things go to waste all the time. In the city we do not collect rain water but with an investment of under $200 you could save rain water. You could us it for your lawn/garden or to load your water gun and keep away pesky neighbors, think about how much you’re currently wasting on that!  Have fun with your energy savings.

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

Fun in the Sun in Montreal

August 29, 2010 by Leave a Comment

The Montreal office had a Fundraising BBQ in the summer and it was a big success. Most employees came to the park at lunch time and were able to enjoy hot dogs, hamburgers and a bunch of other goodies. We played croquet and lawn bowling and some just played catch with balls. Derek Benner from head office was here that week and offered to do all the grilling. The food was donated by our caterer and we were able to raise about $150.00. Everyone enjoyed a lunch in the sun and is looking forward for the next Softchoice Cares BBQ!

Filed Under: Fundraising Activities Tagged With: , ,

Save your energy for Monday morning

August 26, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Are your coworkers ending their days and starting their weekends by turning off their PCs? It’s an easy way to lower your carbon footprint and there are solutions available ranging from management systems you can buy to the tried and true method of clicking on the Windows logo.

But what about your servers? Ever wondered how much energy you’d save over a weekend if you turned off under-used servers during your off hours?  Software company IE is working on a server version of their management solution for PCs. They are inching closer to helping companies reduce their carbon footprint with a fail-safe power management system for the data center.  Read more.

Filed Under: Reducing Energy Tagged With: , ,