A: Energy costs are rising and many countries are now facing the likelihood of energy surcharges. IT buyers are now starting to focus on operational power consumption and are also becoming more environmentally aware. New technology can actually reduce operating costs because it is far more efficient. For example, a five year-old PC will typically consume 200-300 Watts of electricity. NComputing virtual desktops consume less than 5 Watts of electricity. The electricity costs alone will pay back for the purchase costs in less than a year.

A: The current global trend focuses on sustainable development and responsible business. CIOs today are doing a cost-benefit analysis. If it’s a matter of saving just 5-10 percent on electricity by shifting to a newer model of PC or server, the savings may not justify the outlay. But if the savings are of a large magnitude, then the replacement cost can be recovered in less than a year – often within six months. We have built a cost analysis calculator on our website that enables CIOs to enter in their cost data and the calculator determines the savings.

A: Often times, eco-friendly computing means that the CIO has to pay a premium for the same functionality. In today’s economy, eco-friendly only makes sense if it is also biz-friendly. We urge all CIOs to have a dual frame of reference in evaluating all new products. In terms of the largest eco-friendly impact, the massive deployments of energy-wasting desktop PCs are the prime opportunity. In addition to upgrading end-user computing, there are eco-friendly opportunities in consolidating servers in the datacentre through virtualisation.  This can reduce the number of servers by 20-40 percent.  Additional opportunities are in upgrading datacentre hardware with lower electricity usage to reduce electrical and operating costs.

A: In thinking about energy efficiency - at home or in office – it’s important to think about the “three Rs” -- Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. This mantra can be applied to office computing as well. First, NComputing devices reduce electricity consumption by at least 90 percent compared to standalone PCs. Second, our virtual desktops allow the organisation to reuse existing infrastructure (PCs, monitors, keyboards). Finally, these devices only weigh 100 grams so when it is time to recycle, the amount of electronic waste in landfills is dramatically reduced. It is a little known fact that in while electronic waste represents only 2 percent of trash in landfills, it represents 80 percent of the toxic waste.

A: We can't live without PCs, but we need to learn how to live with them: they consume too much electricity and generate too much e-waste. A typical PC takes 110 watts to run, and there are almost a billion of them on the planet. And according to the Silicon Valley Toxics Commission, e-waste is the fastest growing part of the waste stream.

However today's PCs are so powerful that we no longer need one for each person. We can tap into the excess power in one PC and share it with many users. Our technology uses just 1 to 5 watts, lasts for a decade, and generates just a few ounces of e-waste.

Our systems save you 75 percent on hardware, and since they draw less than 5 watts, you reduce your energy footprint by as much as 90 percent per user. And because these devices produce practically no heat, they reduce the need for energy-consuming air conditioning. Electricity savings alone can pay for the NComputing virtual desktops in as little as one year.

Over 850 million PCs are turned on every day. If virtual systems were used at a ratio of 6 devices to 1 PC:

• Energy use would decline by over 120 billion kilowatt hours per year
• CO2 emissions would decrease by 96 million metric tons - it's like planting 460 million trees
• E-waste would be reduced by 6.7 million metric tons

A: It is a great idea to start using virtual desktops. Secondly, server consolidation through virtualisation can be practiced as a means to reduce energy footprint. It is a great idea to use LCD monitors (use 80 percent less electricity compared to traditional CRTs). Last but not the least; use newer desktop PCs as they typically use 110 watts versus older PCs that use 200-300 watts.