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Slimmed down computers 'could save SMEs money'

Published On 4 April 2007 at 11:58:08

Britain's small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) could save time and the environment by changing the IT infrastructure they use, a new report claims.

According to research from the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany, British businesses, including many SMEs, could save a total of £78 million in electricity bills by switching to thin clients instead of using traditional PCs.

Thin clients systems work by using a central server for processing activities, allowing the majority of the company computers to be much smaller as they only have to connect to the server to run effectively. As a result, thin clients use less power, are more reliable and simpler to centrally manage than traditional PC systems.

As well as providing a financial incentive to SMEs to switch, the institute's research suggested that thin clients could cut CO2 emissions by 485,000 tonnes a year.

"Energy consumption when in operation was up to 50 per cent lower than for conventional PCs," explained Dr Hartmut Pflaum. "While PCs consume about 85 watts on average, thin clients including their server get by with 40 to 50 watts. In view of climate change and the need to reduce CO2 emissions, this is an important factor."

A recent Ofcom report showed that SMEs in the UK are increasingly using computers to facilitate their business. The latest Digital Progress Report found that 80 per cent of SMEs had at least one computer.

 

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