Thin Client, Huge Benefits
The “Energy Star” logo, often emblazoned on computers and monitors, has become a familiar sight for computer users since 1992 when the United States Environmental Protection Agency adopted standards to certify consumer products using the Energy Star logo. Energy Star-worthy products are certifiable when energy consumption is reduced, on average, by 30 percent. Reducing energy consumption has always been a priority for organizations, especially after the launch of Energy Star standards, but recent changes in utility costs have forced enterprises to more closely examine their utility usage with the prime point of focus being the pc workstation. While all the hardware encompassing a workstation could be energy efficient—even to the point of Energy Star standards, such a set up does not mean the workstation maximizes its efficiency using the latest Green computing technologies.
With increased computing power and users utilizing only a small bit of their CPUs’ to browse the internet, edit documents, and compose emails, organizations have realized how a CPU can unnecessarily drive energy consumption. Thus, organizations have begun to look toward thin client computing as a means to increase computing efficiency. Thin client computing is a computing arrangement in which a thin client (computer) depends on a central server for processing power while using a virtualized desktop. With thin client computing, the required hardware is a monitor and a terminal—both using a minimal amounts of electricity.
While thin client computing is certainly not a new technology, the relative low costs of a standalone pc workstation whose substantial computing power can be obtained inexpensively have impeded the adoption of thin clients due to their minimal computing power. However, as utility costs increase and organization become increasingly aware of the carbon emissions associated with computing, the thin client, with low power requirements, will emerge as a lost cost, viable, and Green computing solution.
I recently came across an article on MarketWatch.com describing the successful implementation of thin client computers at a California school district. With thin client computing, the school district was able to reduce its carbon footprint by 90% while increasing the ratio of students to computers from 9:1 to 2:1 at a cost of $70 per student. So, as shown and like I mentioned in an early entry, Green IT has great potential to be cost driver for an organization. I see a trend here!
The most compelling bit of information contained in the article, for me at least, was the incredible efficiency of thin clients in terms of energy usage. The thin clients deployed at the school district mentioned in the article consume a mere 1 watt per user as compared with 115 watts for a stand-alone PC. Extrapolate that figure across the enterprise and you can see how powerfully a thin client can impact an organization’s utility usage.
In an ideal world, a thin client, implemented across an enterprise, could drastically reduce utility usage and the carbon footprint of an organization. However, to be realistic, the business requirements of a user must be analyzed before choosing a thin client as opposed to a standalone PC or thick client. That way, computing resources can be properly allocated and an organization can be both efficient and Green.
Now, if only the EPA would “Energy Star” certify companies. I wonder if they could even find a sticker that big.
