Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Data Center & Cow Manure: The Scoop on HP’s Innovation

Source for diagram here





















HP’s new “server farm” concept is all over the news. The idea, as outlined in an academic paper, is as follows: take cow dung and convert it to energy in order to power data centers.

From an article on Mobiledia (
full story here):



“Patel [Chandrakant Patel, the director of at HP Labs] said that 10,000 cows, each producing 20 metric tons of manure a year, could generate enough electricity to run a one-megawatt facility -- a small to medium-size unit, for instance, used by a bank.”


Don’t think about it next time you are at the ATM…


Read about the UK data center already using the approach outlined by HP

Coverage from SustainLane

Monday, May 17, 2010

One-Click Solutions: the Answer for Remote Access

According to an article in IT Business Edge entitled “Five Ways to Rethink Remote Access,” it is time for companies to evaluate and update their remote access policies (full story here).

When discussing remote access for employees, the article lauds the value of one-click solutions and a simple user interface:

“A one-click solution will shorten the amount of time it takes to train an employee. Companies can cut down their IT training because the network security portion is easy. A trouble-free solution will also increase productivity among the office and make employees satisfied because they are eliminating an annoyance.
Not only is connecting to the network easier with a one-click solution, but also making the user interface is simple to understand is important. Employees need to understand their connection and real-time information and not waste time trying to grasp it. “
My sentiments exactly!

Minicom’s remote access solutions for data centers epitomize one-click, simple remote access management, designed for ease of use.

Find out more about accessing all your IT assets, all the time.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

IT Giants Extending the Life of Data Center Legacy Equipment

Even data center giants such as Dell are holding back on purchasing new IT equipment and trying to make the most of what they have already bought.

According to an article on
Triple Pundit:

“Last month, Dell made the somewhat shocking announcement that it may never build another data center. The company was referring to the fact that it’s doubled its workload using no extra power and building no new data centers, simply by squeezing more capacity out of its existing servers.”

Companies such as HP and Wells Fargo are adopting similar strategies in the hopes of saving energy and money.

Minicom embraced this philosophy years ago with the
Real Needs™ approach. The basic philosophy of our Real Needs™ approach is to make sure that you have the most efficient hardware for your data center requirements without spending IT dollars for equipment that you don't need. Rather than advocate a "rip and replace" approach, the Real Needs™ approach preserves past investments by repurposing and updating existing equipment. We utilize the infrastructure, installation, and training that you already have, and add the elements that are missing.

Find out how Minicom can help extend the life of the IT equipment you already have.

Monday, May 03, 2010

Minicom’s Road Show in China Hosts Another Successful Seminar

Showcasing remote management and support for data centers, the third seminar in the road show was met with great enthusiasm. The seminar, which highlighted practical applications and case studies for remote management and support in data centers, was held at the Park Plaza Beijing Science Park in Beijing on March 16th. With over 70 participants that included system integrators, resellers, and end–users, participants were excited about the opportunities they saw for incorporating Minicom’s solutions into their data centers.

“There is strong demand for remote management and support in the Chinese market, and these solutions are perfectly positioned to answer that demand,” said Song Wei Ling, KVM Sales Manager at Airworld. “Minicom’s clear and compelling presentation showed how their solutions can be easily integrated into existing IT infrastructures.”

To learn more about Minicom in China, visit
www.minicomchina.com.