Cisco Energy-Efficient Data Center Solutions Data center power and cooling requirements are high-priority topics for Cisco customers, prompted by recent advances in computing and storage product designs. The network is uniquely positioned in the data center to facilitate increased utilization of storage resources. In some cases, the network also provides virtualized services that in the past were supported by appliances. Integrating the functions of an appliance-based architecture into an architecture that is based on service modules can free power capacity and slow power consumption growth. Energy-Efficient Solutions There are many approaches to reducing the growth of power consumption. The solutions described here involve doing more with less by increasing utilization through virtualization, replacing appliances with a service module architecture, and managing power consumption through network-based management. These solutions affect not just the network architecture but also the infrastructure adjacent to the network. For more info, click here.
	Dell Embarks on an Energy-Saving Product Strategy Energy Resource Provides Calculation Tools; Industry Challenged to Join Effort  Dell announced its energy-efficiency product strategy, underscoring the importance of reduced power consumption as well as enhanced performance in its product design.  The company also launched an energy resource guide at www.dell.com/energy to help customers project their power needs using Dell products. "Dell is committed to providing our customers products with the most performance per watt," said Dell CEO Kevin Rollins. "Our energy-efficient products help customers lower cost of ownership and help meet the broader goal of protecting the environment. It's critical that our entire industry address this important issue." The focus on product energy efficiency is designed to help customers decrease electricity usage and system operating cost. Customers visiting Dell's energy resource site can view the energy-efficient features of several Dell product families and access energy calculators to help estimate power needs. A calculator for the energy-efficient Dell OptiPlexTM  745 desktop system launched today, and calculators for other product families will be available later this year. A separate datacenter capacity planner allows customers to "drag and drop" their desired product configuration into a virtual server rack and estimate power required to run their IT operations.  For more info, click here.
	Become more energy efficient Project Big Green: Applying energy efficient technology, products, skills and services to help you reduce data center energy consumption. Recently, IT discussions of cost savings have evolved to concerns over energy efficiency. Faced with the issue of an energy efficient data center, businesses are looking for ways to optimize their computing environments to the benefit of their bottom line and our planet. IBM believes the two efforts are complimentary. IBM offers a comprehensive approach to helping businesses develop energy efficient and environmentally responsible green data centers. We can answer your questions on how to get started and we are interested hearing about your own plans for a Green Data Center! Please send a note to GOGREEN@us.ibm.com so we can help provide you with additional information that matches your needs. For more info, click here.