U Michigan Automates Desktop Power Management as Part of Energy Savings Program -- Campus Technology

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U Michigan Automates Desktop Power Management as Part of Energy Savings Program

By Dian Schaffhauser
09/28/09

The University of Michigan has committed to a 10,000-seat licensing agreement with BigFix to automate desktop power management as part of its efforts to adopt eco-friendly IT practices. The Climate Savers Computing Initiative (CSCI) at the university is sponsoring the initial deployment of the suite of BigFix tools. The software enables system administrators to manage multiple desktop machines, both Mac OS X systems and Windows-based systems, including the ability to customize power management programs for specific workgroups or individuals.

"BigFix is one way to help automate the implementation of power management, and it fits with our overall strategy of making eco-friendly computing as simple as possible for the end-user," said Bill Wrobleski, director of infrastructure services, Information and Technology Services. "Additionally, the resulting power utilization data will help us to measure the success of eco-friendly computing practices and quantify its effectiveness. The data will enable us to focus our attention on the areas with the biggest future gains and demonstrate the value of our work to the university community."

The university has about 80,000 desktops across its Ann Arbor, Dearborn, and Flint campuses. Based on energy savings from the initial deployment, CSCI said it hopes to inspire others to consider energy consumption of IT devices and adopt eco-friendly practices, including virtualization-as-a-service.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

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