Renew Iowa: Virtual Servers Save Energy

July 16, 2008

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July 16, 2008 -- You probably don't think about how your company information gets to your office computer while you work. It can take a lot of energy to keep the system up and running. But, what if you could make it virtual? One metro company says it can and help businesses save money and energy.

You might take your office data system for granted. But, it's a priority for Merit Resources V.P. of Technology Jeff Caracci. He says, "We rely on it to be up so our clients can be able to get to their payroll information." Recently his human resources company decided to make a server switch, to save money and the environment.

He says, "The fact that we're saving energy, I think is just a bonus. It's a great thing that we can say we're doing." What they're doing is called server virtualization. A crew with Alliance Technologies helped the company set up a greener information technology system with what's called VMware.

Alliance Technologies Solutions Architect Sean Clark says, "Basically, it's the ability to deliver hardware through software, so I can take 1 physical server and run many virtualized servers on top of that on physical server." So instead of towers of servers, Merit Resources has just a few that can run the entire office. They can easily add virtual servers down the road with just a few clicks of the mouse, but no extra materials.

Clark says it saves space, uses 60 to 80% less energy and helps the business bottom line. IT Manager John Notch says the system cost about $30,000 to install, but they've already made up the costs with energy and labor savings. He says the company expects to save $50,000 a year for the next three years.

As for the environmental savings, the 22 servers at Merit Resources is like planting 440 trees and taking 33 cars off the road. Clark says, "It saves a lot of electricity, a lot of cooling, it reduces the heat that goes into the environment, not to mention the landfill, because when we are done with these servers, we've got to throw them away, so if I have to throw away 20 less servers, that's also good for the landfill."

And good for Iowa as this business prepares its technology for the future.