A modern reality is that every business is looking for ways to save money and do more with less.  This common thread between my business and all the businesses in the region led me to write this article. I have spent time researching a diverse set of sources to identify some areas that might allow you, your business or your family to save effort, money and (potentially) electricity.

I draw a strong parallel between wasted effort, unnecessary cost and wasted electricity at least as it applies to technology.   I do this because all resources -- human, technology, material and energy -- carry an environmental cost.   By trying to minimize waste in general we have the opportunity to be more efficient, competitive and green. I want to help you evaluate the practices you have considered normal and look for opportunities to make them greener by asking a few questions.

When it comes to any investment or business decision the most important criteria is to ask yourself is, “is it necessary?” When you review modern processes you might look at the documents that get printed, filed and faxed only to find that you can use alternate technologies like storing scanned copies of documents and emailing them. Also, when looking at meetings or tradeshows, it can be a great and more convenient option to use webmeeting to fill the same need.  Finally it is important to check any decision, evaluate it for necessity and discourage luxury spending based on desire or fashion rather than need.

As we look toward an uncertain energy future with fuel and energy costs already high enough, we start to ask another question, “is it efficient?“ Old hardware loitering around the office have major downsides, even if it is substantial enough to run an old operating system. In the past, there were less aggressive energy star ratings and generally the performance of old hardware starts to limit productivity of software after 36 to 48 months.  Another major efficiency issue can come down to misconfigured computer configurations or ‘bloat.’ Programs in the startup folder in Windows can consume a significant amount of a computer’s resources and energy can be dedicated to running background applications that are used infrequently.  There are numerous solutions and instructions online that address computer startup. For instance, software such as CCleaner is free and available at www.piriform.com.  Power management is another way that you can address efficiency by turning your computer on to only run when you are likely to use it or in the process of using it.

Looking at advertising, you might wonder, can you upgrade to energy efficiency?  I think that is a challenging question but for long term efficiency I believe the technology on the market (laptops, solar, hydroelectric, etc.) is so much better now than historically, it is worth evaulating for your business (and potentially home).  Modern software (e.g. Microsoft's Windows 7) is becoming more efficient by starting quicker, shutting down faster and providing more detailed control of power settings; this is important to keep in mind when considering a new computer.

Want to meet other local IT professionals? Join and become active in the Redwood Technology Consortium.

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Robert Beckerdite is senior engineer and owner of Beckerdite Consulting, which provides local technology services focused on technology, legal and healthcare business sectors in Humboldt County. Robert is a member of the Redwood Technology Consortium.

Copyright 2010, Eureka Times-Standard Newspaper. The print version of this article first appeared in the 6/10/10 edition of the TImes-Standard.