Helping Customers Go Green

Many offices across the nation are putting in a concerted effort to make their offices more efficient or “green” if you will. This movement is lowering overall office maintenance costs, lowering utility bills, lowering office supply costs, and providing more revenue to the bottom line. IT companies that want to help their customers adopt an efficiency policy, should first adopt some simple practices in their office and provide a value added, example based guide of common practices or implemented improvements.

A number of simple and effective practices are:

Lights – Lights can have a huge impact on energy used and utility costs. Place stickers by all light switches to “turn off” when not in use. Make a policy that lights in common areas such as bathrooms, break rooms, and conference rooms, are always “off” unless being used. Make sure all lights are off before leaving the building at night to maximize energy efficiency.

Recycling – Recycling can be an easy way to make a difference. Add recycling bins in common areas to encourage employee participation, this minimal change can boost morale and make a noticeable difference to your green office.

Computers – Computers are a silent drain on energy, whether it is a CPU, laptop, or monitor, all add up to costly energy usage when on. It is often common practice for users to leave their computers powered on when leaving for the day. Implement a policy that all computers and monitors be powered down prior to leaving for the day. Make a visual check prior to leaving the office and place a note on the desk of any users that have left their machine on. “It is not a good idea to manually shut a computer off if left on, as the user may have been working on something that may be lost if shut down.”

Servers – Servers utilize an immense amount of power and energy, cooling costs, battery backup, and peripherals add to the inefficiency. Remove and consolidate any servers into virtual servers on a single machine if possible. Research available cloud solutions that may help eliminate internal servers and devices as well, to maximize your green efforts. Cloud solutions can help to effectively minimize your energy usage.

There are many more ways to make your office more efficient. By taking a few simple steps you can save money, add bottom line revenue, and add to your company culture. Once you have implemented a plan for your office, write up a short guide and provide it to your customers as a value add. A small effort can make a huge difference for you and your customers.

Frank Gurnee
VP, Channel Services, ExchangeDefender
(877) 546-0316 x4777
frank@ownwebnow.com