5 Ways To “Go Green” & Save Money Too!

Posted by admin on July 14, 2010 | No Comments

Whether your motivation is to save the planet or save some money, going “green” with your office IT is a smart move. After all, who doesn’t want to save a little money, especially when it’s SO incredibly easy!
5 Painless Ways To Go Green And Save Green

1. Go paperless! The concept of the paperless office was introduced years ago with the invention of document imaging. However, one look around your office will surely prove that was a bit of a pipedream. There are a lot of really smart reasons why you should consider converting some portion of your paper documents to electronic format IN ADDITION TO the fact that going paperless is a much greener solution. First off, finding documents will be so much easier and faster, and you won’t run the risk of important documents being misplaced, misfiled or damaged (who hasn’t spilled coffee on a critical document). If that doesn’t grab you, maybe the cost savings on paper, ink, and storage will or the fact that employees working remotely can access contracts or other paper documents in seconds, any time, day or night, from any location.

2. When not in use, turn off the juice! The computers in your office are the largest drain on electricity in your office; and considering you’re only using them for approximately 9-10 hours a day, that means you’re paying for 14-15 hours of unnecessary power. (And yes, it is a myth that turning your computer off and on regularly will cause it to wear out more quickly!) We are in the process of implementing for our IT EZ support clients who have newer workstations, automatically powering down the office overnight and bringing it back up again in the morning without any interruption or interference with your systems’ performance. This alone can save thousands on electricity. And if there is any maintenance to be done, we can take care of that remotely and power them down after we’re done.

3. Go virtual! Virtualization allows you to “run” multiple computers or servers on one “super computer.” Sometimes this is accomplished by replacing your complex, power-sucking, expensive workstations with much less expensive “thin-client” machines that require very little power or maintenance to operate.

Thousands of businesses are rapidly trading in their overblown, traditional networks for virtualization because of the incredible cost savings in hardware, software and maintenance. Plus it offers instant disaster recovery, the ability to securely work from home or the road AND it drastically reduces the amount of power needed, making it far more environmentally friendly.

4. Allow employees to work from home. More and more businesses are creating virtual workspaces for several reasons. First, allowing employees to work from home perpetually or for a couple of days a week cuts down on gas and emissions. It’s also a great retention strategy for your rock star employees. Additionally, allowing employees to work from home reduces the amount of office space needed, lowering or eliminating rent costs and utility bills. Finally, it’s a great disaster preparedness plan. In the event of a fire or natural disaster, employees can keep the doors open by working remotely.

5. Dispose of old electronics responsibly. Your computer is made with a wide variety of components, many of which are toxic. When old computers are disposed of improperly, these substances can enter the environment, causing pollution and associated plant and animal death, along with birth defects. Many of these components are also produced in unsustainable ways, causing even more environmental harm. Because these components can be recovered and recycled, throwing out an old computer is simply irresponsible. If you have old equipment, you can often donate it to a charity for a tax break. Not only will that solve the disposal problem, but you’ll save a little money too!

Want To “Green Up” Your Office?
If you want to discover how we can help you save money while being more environmentally friendly, call us for a “Going Green” audit. We’ll come onsite to review your office environment and present you with multiple ways to cut costs while going green. In many cases we can show you how to:

Drastically reduce your power usage and electric bill.
Cut your IT hardware, software and support costs by 40% to 50% through virtualization.
Cut your paper usage and all the costs around printing, storing, filing and managing all that paper.
Introduce you to more environmentally friendly choices in hardware, printers, scanners, and other devices.
Give you peace of mind that your network could be back up and running in the event of a disaster with greener and more
efficient backup solutions.

Schedule Your Audit: Email: GoGreen@BSSI.biz

BSSI Is Planning An Office Move

Posted by admin on May 15, 2010 | 2 Comments

BSSI is planning an office move. Here is another one of our geeksters trying to work while we are conducting a site visit at a possible new location!…. More details to follow!