Cisco's grandiose green game gets going
- TAGS:Cisco, CSCO, energy, Energywise, environment, green, power
- IT TOPICS:Data Center, Hardware, Internet, Networking, Networking Hardware
In Wednesday's ITÂ Blogwatch, Richi Jennings watches bloggers watch Cisco unveil its rather ambitious green vision. Not to mention the Wookie door...
Matt Hamblen reports:
Cisco Systems Inc. launched a major green initiative today that includes free software to help customers use their networks to automatically turn off computers and network gear at night and whenever they aren't being used.
By next year, Cisco is aiming to expand the new technology, EnergyWise, to allow building managers to control lights, heat and other systems as well ... The software has been in development for three years and will run on the Cisco Catalyst switching line, available as a free download now for existing Catalyst users, or available with new Catalyst purchases.
Katie Fehrenbacher looks ahead:
Cisco, the largest maker of Internet infrastructure, could one day be managing the energy consumption of your PC or the building you’re working in ... Moving to the edge of the network is an unusual move for Cisco, and in particular providing software that can manage third-party devices, as well as lighting and heating and cooling systems in buildings.
...
Ultimately Cisco’s software is meant to help customers reduce their energy consumption and thus save money on their energy bill.
Steven Hodson adds context:
As the Internet grows and more and more people are using it to watch videos or play their music and store their data it is inevitable that its overall energy usage would also climb. With numbers like 3.2 million people climbed on board the Internet train between 2000 and 2006 its not surprising to hear that its energy usage doubled.That might sound like a lot but when you stop to think about it that doubling of energy usage is more of testament of a growing energy consciousness in the companies that manufacture the equipment used to power the Internet.
Mark Boslet drops the "F" word:
EnergyWise is a free software download that works on Cisco’s Catalyst family of switches and its ISR routers. It allows organizations to monitor and regulate the amount of power devices on their networks use.
...
Cisco has before this developed guidelines to reduce internal energy use – by reducing travel, for instance – but has not turned these efforts into customer products..
Bob Larribeau clarifies:
EnergyWise will roll out in three phases:
- In the first phase (February 2009), Network Control, EnergyWise will be supported on Catalyst switches and manage the energy consumption of IP devices such as phones, video surveillance cameras and wireless access points.
- In the next phase (Summer 2009), IT Control, there will be expanded industry support of EnergyWise on devices such as personal computers (PCs), laptops and printers.
- In the final phase (Early 2010), Building Control, EnergyWise will be extended to the management of building system assets such as heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), elevators, lights, employee badge access systems, fire alarm systems and security systems.
This is an interesting approach that leverages installed switches and Cisco's industry position to address energy management in businesses.
Linda Leung likes it:
Cisco has made available the APIs so third-parties could potentially enable EnergyWise to manage the power consumption for entire building systems such as lights, elevators and air conditioning/heating ... Just imagine the control that would give Cisco in the data center.
And finally...
Chewbacca is stuck in my cabinet [hat tip: Blake Patterson]
Buffer overflow:
Other Computerworld bloggers:
- Robert L. Mitchell: What the Web knows about you
- Eric Lundquist: Bill Gates on the economy, technology and doing good
- Mark Everett Hall: It's time for a SaaS supermarket
- Shark Tank: Probably through the dead-letter office
- Shark Bait: 8" Disk in the Mail
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Richi Jennings is an independent analyst/adviser/consultant, specializing in blogging, email, and spam. A 23 year, cross-functional IT veteran, he is also an analyst at Ferris Research. You can follow him on Twitter, pretend to be Richi's friend on Facebook, or just use boring old email: blogwatch@richi.co.uk.
Previously in IT Blogwatch:
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