Spiceworks Plug-in To Rein In Power Hungry PCs

The free IT management software from Spiceworks now has a plug-in that will allow IT managers to automatically regulate the power consumption of networked computers.

The downloadable Power Manager plug-in, developed in co-operation with Intel, is designed to link everyday network and systems management tasks with green IT initiatives.

Spiceworks estimates that if half its 800,000 users worldwide deploy the new power management plug-in, they could save more than $500 million (£303 million) in annual electricity costs and eliminate 3 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions. The company claims more than 28 million desktops, laptops and servers are managed by the free Spiceworks IT Desktop.

The new power management plug-in, which can be downloaded for free from the Spiceworks Plug-in Center, includes Remote Power Consumption Management, which allows users to remotely manage the power consumption of PCs, laptops and other networked devices.

This includes the ability to use Wake On LAN and Intel vPro technology features to power on and off devices based on schedules and other criteria; Power Management Dashboard, which shows a visual map of networked machines and devices that are powered on or off; and Dollar Savings View, which displays estimates of dollars saved per day and month, based on current price/kWh and watts used by networked devices.

Spiceworks founder and co-CEO Scott Abel said building more energy-efficient PCs and devices is only one step in making IT green. “The software that manages networked devices can also play a more active role in saving energy,” he said. “With the help of Intel, we’ve tuned the Spiceworks IT Desktop software to do just that so our growing network of businesses can do more to save money and help the environment.”

The application also includes a graph that tells users what should happen as a result of the schedule the user put in place; a Red Dot feature tells users specifically which machines are actually up/down at the current time. Spiceworks said in a perfect world, the Red Dot should be very close (or on top of) the graph/line.

“If it isn’t, that tells you that either some machines are off and shouldn’t be or some machines are on and shouldn’t be,” the company website explained. “You should take into consideration a number of things when deciding which machines you want to power-manage with this extension.”

“Many organisations are adding environmental sustainability goals to their constant search for new opportunities to be socially responsible and to save money,” said Intel Business Client Platforms Vice President and General Manager Rick Echevarria. “Our collaboration with Spiceworks to develop the Power Manager plug-in for Intel Core2 processors with vPro technology-based PCs provides businesses a cost-efficient way to more carefully and actively manage the valuable energy consumed by their IT networks.”