A new reports from Ovum shows that, despite the huge savings in cost and environment, some organizations are still tentative about deploying a power management solution. Ovum sites a few reasons in the article. They are all interesting reasons, but, as I read, one stands out to me as something I haven’t thought of previously, and its worth mentioning here in the event it describes your organization.
One of the reasons, Ovum outlines, centers around the built-in power management capabilities of the operating system itself, and that IT Admins believe that the improvements made in Windows 7 are enough. For a home computer, this may be true. But, for an organization of several thousand computers, where the endpoints must be managed centrally, this deception is costing them money.
I think this confusion comes from a couple sources: 1) Microsoft, and 2) orgs like Energy Star.
Microsoft is proud of their Windows 7 operating system, and they should be. Windows 7 is heads above previous versions. The power management functions have been greatly improved. But, being able to manage power from a central point (including saving data on power down, remote boot on a schedule, etc., etc.) still remains a mystery to Windows 7. When you have thousands of computers to maintain, central management is a must. Just being able to administer from a central location saves tons of money on its own.
(Interested in what a power management solution should contain? See: https://www.1e.com/nightwatchman/)
The second area of confusion is related to organizations that have cropped up over the last 5 or 6 years. The example I gave was the Energy Star organization (website: https://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=home.index). Energy Star-rated computers are great, but I think the confusion comes during the research stage for most organizations. When they find a web site like Energy Star (there are many others, btw. Here’s one example: Turn Your PC Power Management Back On, It Works Now!) that tends to be their final research destination. And, the information provided there tends to be the last bit of information culled. While the information provided by these web sites are great as standalone pieces, they are not compiled, for the most part, with business in mind. Organizations simply need to be careful reviewing the information they find. The best way to help fight through this type of confusion is to go the source. Locate the leader in the industry and review the information they provide.
Fortunately, 1E is the leader in this area. And, you can find huge stacks of information about PC Power Management in our content hub: https://www.1e.com/resources
In the brief breakdown of the report on eWeek.com, Nathan Eddy walks through a few more standout reasons.