Computer Weekly readers' have their say
IBM should not need to 'steer' users to green
IT
David Jones
I read with interest the article entitled
"IBM offers metrics
to steer users towards greener IT".
It is encouraging that datacentres will now be able to ascertain
the efficiency of their systems, a first step of hopefully many
that will lead to decreased energy usage in datacentres.
However, the worrying fact is that, according to Forrester's
research, only 25% of companies that say environmental factors are
important to them are actually taking this into account in their
purchasing decisions.
Businesses need to go beyond good intentions and put these plans
into action - companies like IBM should not have to "steer" them
into doing this.
Perhaps the problem is that going green seems an insurmountable
task. The key is to go back to basics. A great deal of difference
can be made simply by cutting down on the amount of data stored in
an IT system.
So many companies have overloaded storage systems by storing
duplicates of the same file. This means energy is being used to
store and back-up all these unnecessary files.
By just de-duplicating files, a company can save up to 40% of
its storage costs and be more energy efficient at the same
time.
Green IT is a hot topic and every business will have a slightly
different way of tackling it. However, every business with an IT
system has data to store, and managing this data effectively is an
important place to start.
Any danger from Wi-Fi networks? I don't think
so
Chris Miller
I was sorry to see the
dangers of Wi-Fi
being propounded in a serious journal.
I no longer expect the staff of the BBC (who started this hare
running) to be able to muster a pass in GCSE science between them,
but I would hope for more from the newspaper of record for the
British computer industry.
To summarise:
● The Wi-Fi scare is generated by an analogy with that of mobile
phones - which has unfortunately been given a degree of
respectability by the government exercising the "precautionary
principle" and recommending that mobile phone masts should not be
sited close to schools.
● Although somewhat similar frequencies are used, the power
levels used by Wi-Fi are at least 10 times lower than those for
mobile phone handsets (and nearly 1,000 times lower than those for
masts).
● The inverse square law dictates that the greatest effect on
the human body will be from mobile phones held close to the
ear.
● There is no plausible mechanism that could account for any
ill-health effects of electromagnetic radiation from phones, and no
significant evidence that it exists. There are, on the other hand,
billions of people using mobile phones every day with no ill
effects.
● If, despite this, we would still like to minimise the exposure
of our children to this "invisible killer", the best way to do so
(short of a ban on the technology) would be to site mobile phone
masts close to schools so that the handsets will automatically
operate at lower power settings.
In a remarkable coincidence, the "expert" who assisted the naïve
BBC reporter in uncovering this story owns a business that sells
detectors and even anti-radiation paint to counteract this
non-existent threat.
Lack of coherent planning is reason IT projects
fail
Steve Gedney
It was depressing to read yet another
article regarding
the seemingly doomed NHS National Programme for IT.
Like most failed IT projects, whether public or private sector,
large or small, the NPfIT has failed primarily because of a lack of
coherent planning prior to the implementation process.
In order to be successful, IT projects must have in place
clearly defined processes and objectives from the start, otherwise
the result is always confusion, delays, budget overruns and,
ultimately, failure.
IT is sadly an area of business where this rather astonishing
rate of failure is accepted when it really need not be. However,
the fact is that most of the problems we read about are very easily
rectified.
With the right tools and good project management, IT projects
such as the now infamous NHS scheme could and should become a
value-add asset for any organisation.
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