Reduce Your Organisation’s Carbon Footprint and Cut it Spending With Miniframe Softxpand

In today’s society the environment has become an important subject, we are always being asked to “do our bit” to try and reduce our “carbon footprint”. There are several options on the market to choose from if you wish to lower the impact your usage of IT has on the environment.

Firstly there are computers designed with low-power components which consume less electricity. Within the last two years a new category of PCs known as “netbooks” have gained popularity. These are small notebooks which typically include a low-power Intel CPU that consumes as little as 2.5 Watts of power. The payoff for using energy saving components is a battery life of up to 7 hours, compared to a typical laptop which will last a maximum of 2 hours; this means less plugging in to recharge and a lower carbon footprint as a result.

Due to the runaway success of these “netbooks”, PC manufacturers like Dell and Asus are now starting to release desktop variants of netbooks called “nettops”. These desktop PCs are extremely compact with typical dimensions of 22cm by 17cm and have a power consumption of around 20 Watts, which is 90% lower than a typical desktop computer.

Another option for saving energy is using a “thin client”. A thin client is a small, low-power computer which is connected to a remote server that performs the majority of processing tasks for the thin client. The server can also have software installed on it that can be accessed by the thin client; such as an office suite or accounts package.

There is also a new, revolutionary option for going green and reducing your organisation’s carbon footprint – Miniframe SoftXpand, a multiseat computing solution offered by Lucid IT Services. SoftXpand transforms a single desktop PC running Microsoft Windows XP into up to six fully independent computer workstations using standard monitors, keyboards and mice. With SoftXpand you can easily lower your organisation’s carbon footprint. Rather than having six separate workstations all requiring their own power source and generating heat, SoftXpand only requires one computer to be switched on, which reduces power consumption by up to six times.

SoftXpand is based on a simple fact; today’s PCs are so powerful that the vast majority of applications use only a small fraction of the computer’s capacity. MiniFrame’s Multiseat computing software SoftXpand taps this unused capacity so that it can be simultaneously shared by multiple users, spreading out the cost of the PC, and providing six times the number of seats for the same money. SoftXpand’s unique resource sharing & intelligent balancing system allows the full utilization of a PC’s power and cleverly allocates resources. Modern Video cards are equipped with a powerful Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) and Video Memory (VRAM). SoftXpand uses this power and automatically balances it between the workstations according to the applications’ needs.

SoftXpand lowers electricity consumption drastically; a single SoftXpand machine will use 1/6 of the electricity of six standard PCs – which helps to reduce your electricity bills and carbon footprint. As a result of these lower power requirements, it also generates less heat; a single SoftXpand machine will produce 1/6 of the heat of six machines – meaning you won’t need to turn on the air conditioning as often. And when the system reaches the ends of its useful life, only one PC will need to be replaced instead of six and less hazardous computer equipment will end up in landfill.

For more information on MiniFrame SoftXpand, visit http://www.luciditservices.co.uk/green

About the Author

Lucid IT Services are a West Midlands, UK based IT consultancy specialising in IT Security and Green Computing solutions. For more information visit http://www.luciditsecurity.co.uk

Asus Eee PC 1000HA Netbook

Duracell 813-0281-07 100 Watt DC to AC Pocket Power Inverter $29.99 This Duracell Pocket Inverter 100 DC to AC Power Inverter convert 12-volt DC battery power from a vehicle into 120-volt household AC electricity. It includes a three-prong household AC outlet and a USB charge port, allowing you to operate and recharge a wide range of mobile devices. It is the smallest inverters on the market, and will store easily in your pocket, laptop bag, vehicle console or glo…

Angry Bird Stickers (Black/Green/Blue/White) $2.50 Beautiful Angry Bird Set of 4 pieces Ideal for kids rooms, can be used on any dry surface, like wall, wood, Laptop, Tablet (ipad,hp touchpad, Galaxy, Asus) even in your car, your kids will Love it Average size: 5×5 inches (each bird and pig) some of them a little bit bigger….

New Green 7 Mini Netbook Laptop Notebook Wifi 2gb Hd Computer Student $199.99 The computer can’t use CD (Without cd-rom) The computer and CD images Is to let you know the size of the computer 2 GB Flash Drive Built-In – 7″ Display – 3 USB Ports – Mic Jack – Headphone jack – Ethernet RJ45 interface – Built-in wireless internet connection card – SD / MMC card slot CPU: XBurst 400 MHz CPU 32 Operation system: Microsoft Windows CE Memory: 64(HW)/128M RAM(UGD) Storage Device: 2G…

Angry Bird Stickers (Blue/White/Red/Green) Beautiful Angry Bird Set of 4 pieces Ideal for kids rooms, can be used on any dry surface, like wall, wood, Laptop, Tablet (ipad,hp touchpad, Galaxy, Asus) even in your car, your kids will Love it Average size: 5×5 inches (each bird and pig) some of them a little bit bigger….

HELLO KITTY – Cat Feline – Car, Truck, Notebook, Vinyl Decal Sticker #1093 | Vinyl Color: Pink $0.65 4″ decal…

rooCASE SLV2 Neoprene Sleeve (Jet Black) Carrying Case for Garmin nüvi 2460LMT 5-inch $9.98 Limited Lifetime Warranty. Like a kangaroo safely carries her young in her pouch, rooCASE offers protective solutions for your precious electronic possessions. rooCASE designers work with your needs in mind, ensuring that cases have not only sturdy exteriors, but also the right-size pockets for smaller accessories. From this starting point of practicality, our designers then consider what”s hip n…

Duracell DRINVM100 100W Mobile Inverter with 2.1 Amp USB Port to Charge iPads and Other Power Hungry USB Products $27.75 Duracell Mobile Inverter 100 converts 12-volt DC battery power from a vehicle up to 100 Watts of usable AC and USB electricity. This compact, lightweight inverter includes a three-prong household AC outlet and the industry’s fastest USB 2.1 Amp charge port, allowing you to operate and recharge a wide range of mobile devices at the same time. When your laptop, iPad, Tablet Computer, iPhone, …

Gear Band – Fashion Business Series men’s leather computer bag (the iPad, netbook-specific) Dimensions : lenght 28.0 cm, height 32.0 cm, width 6.5 cm…

Victorinox Altmont 2.0 Dual-Compartment Monosling Single Strap Lifestyle Pack – Moss/Gray $39.99 Dual compartment monosling is ideal for everyday use and features an electronic device pocket on the shoulder strap that is large enough to fit an iPhone – Zippered front compartment with snap cover contains an interior slash pocket – Padded back panel and adjustable shoulder strap for maximum comfort – Durable Versatek main body fabric with abrasion resistant 1680D nylon base…

Tropical Flower Crossbody Shoulder Sling Bodypack Bag Large Handbag $39.95 The Hawaiian Series Tropical Flower Bodypack Handbag is comfortable to carry and can haul everything you’ve got plus some of your friend’s stuff. Put your books or netbook in the main compartment and wallets, keys, and other accessories in the outside compartment with zippers and a velcro lid. Also contains a cell phone holder on the sling which measures 2″ Wide x 5.5″ Tall….