Consonus Green Cloud and IT Managed Services

Energy use and its effect on national policy and the global climate have become hot-button issues for many people, from voters to companies and politicians. When it comes to information technology and computing resources, energy efficiency plays a large role in how technology affects energy usage in homes as well as corporate settings.

Cloud computing is an emerging paradigm in IT that seeks to maximize computing resource efficiency through virtual cloud services. A shared pool of resources is made available through a network on demand to suit specific technology needs. In other words, instead of having ten computers running just a word processor, one central computer can provide the resources to serve ten copies of the same program to ten terminals. In this way, and many others, cloud services reduce redundancy and improve productivity and energy efficiency.

Consonus offers a wide array of managed services that take advantage of cloud technology to run efficient systems. Let’s take a look at a few examples of managed services, from email archiving to remote backup and virtual infrastructure, how they impact the bottom line, and how they act as green solutions.

Secure Email Archiving

Email archiving is a common function performed by many companies, but it often consumes too much time and too many resources. Every employee has hundreds of emails on their computer along with hundreds more archived on the server, on backup disks, and as compressed files on their hard drive. When those numbers are applied across an entire company, the sheer amount of data can be staggering. Access and recovery times become longer and longer as the volume of data and number of different storage locations increase over time.

Secure email archiving works to consolidate stored data to improve accessibility, increase reliability, and utilize high efficiency storage devices to save on costs and reduce energy usage. This is accomplished by having a central, remote data storage location for all email archiving. Consonus can then consolidate emails, remove duplicates, and compress data while creating a single portal for access. Add in retention policies and automated backup sessions, and any email can be found quickly and in one location. Overall, these efficiencies translate into savings in costs, time, and energy.

Remote Backup Services

When handling data that is more complex than just email archiving, remote backup managed services are an excellent way to simplify IT while saving money and energy. By utilizing cloud services to place data onto a single, web accessible location, creating security backups becomes a streamlined process.

One of the primary benefits of cloud services lies in the fact that IT functions no longer require IT staff. The training, the overhead, and the manpower do not have to be spent dealing with data issues and instead can be focused on mission critical items. In addition, managed services provide up-to-date technology without having to constantly update local IT resources, saving money and reducing material waste.

Finally, Consonus’ data backup cloud services include instant compatibility with PCI/DDS, Sarbanes-Oxley, and HIPPA without the overhead and oversight.

Virtual Infrastructure

As mentioned before, nearly any piece of IT infrastructure can be made virtual and offered as cloud services. Server consolidation will lead to reduced costs and improved flexibility. With remote, redundant systems, companies can decrease the downtime as a result of disasters while ensuring business continuity. IT resources can be added or removed on the fly, allowing businesses to meet seasonal demands without waste during non-peak seasons. Virtual infrastructure also allows easy expansion to grow along with a company.

Again, energy efficiency is gained by running fewer devices and having access to resources that will dynamically scale and power down to meet usage. Just like a utility provider, companies will only pay for what they use. Local systems that are over-specified or running idle during non-business hours are slowly becoming a relic of the past.

Overall, energy efficiency in technology resources provides a wealth of benefits to companies large and small. Many utility providers will provide substantial incentives for companies that implement projects with the goal of reducing energy consumption. Green IT solutions can become part of an environmentally friendly mission statement or corporate culture, fostering a sense of responsibility within a business and its community. Best of all, green doesn’t have to equate to greater expenses; on the contrary, it can save on operating costs.

Let Consonus provide all the necessary managed services, from email archiving and cloud computing, to implement new, efficient IT solutions.