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Hi! Welcome to Aug.’s Florence I.T. newsletter!
Here’s what we feature this month:
Here’s another case study of a successful project we implemented for an area nonprofit recently:
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CASE STUDY 
Microsoft’s terminal server offers nonprofits (or any business) a unique opportunity to reduce the power and workstation maintenance needs and overall I.T. costs Essentially creating a window to the server’s processing power, any low end workstation or thin client can be used for connecting to the server. Concluding an effort started in 2003, we upgraded the terminal server at the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association and installed a number of new thin clients. Since there are no moving parts in thin clients, they will last indefinitely, never needing maintenance – AND they use a fraction of the power of a PC (we measured 15 watts on some of the units). Since Microsoft’s Terminal server is available on techsoup, it truly becomes a viable nonprofit solution, saving proportionally more money the larger the network is. One neat thing we were able to do to save additional funds was to use Linux (free) on some of the older slow PC’s, configured as thin clients as well. Older PC’s use less power as well, so any way you look at it, this is a great reuse strategy for old equipment. Since the user experience is based solely on the speed of the server this adds lots of extra life to otherwise useless older pc’s. And As we look back on almost a full year since it’s implementation at NESEA, we can clearly see reduced workstation maintenance costs, and a notable 70-90% decrease in power usage for each thin client that replaced a PC! |
Here’s some VERY exciting news: our preferred server and PC manufacturer just announced a line of PC’s using super low power VIA processors. VIA is the maker of the chip used in the famous (at least in my house) florenceit.net custom web server we built back in 04′ for running on solar power! (click here for more info). What’s exciting is this is a mainstream business class machine from a large vendor, and it can save you power and money. This super low power business PC features the VIA C7-D (1.5mhz) processor. These machines we can offer in the following configurations, delivery included: $420 with Windows XP Home edition, $520 w/XP Pro, or $380 for a version without windows (we could put linux or your own operating system on it for you). Nonprofits take $20 off above prices. These are IDEAL choices for low end workstations, a very small office file server, or as a terminal services client; using about as much power as a thin client: a max rated power of only 20 watts! Using these instead of a thin client offers you additional features found in a PC (dvd/cdrw, usb, sound, 512mb ram, 80GB hard drive, kb, mouse and gigabit ethernet, ) with the same super low power requirements of a tiny thin client. I can say from experience that VIA processor based machines use very small amounts of power (our website uses only 14 to 17 watts!). Do not expect these new PC’s to be speed demons however (I expect similar performance as that of an Intel Celeron processor). You can expect dramatic power savings, and a Processor that is RoHS compliant. VIA has lots of green initiatives in place: Using a PC like this is supporting companies that are doing the right thing environmentally, meeting the balance between real world business needs and responsible use of global materials. I am VERY pleased to see my primary server/PC manufacturer (the 3′rd largest U.S. server and PC maker) finally offering a solution like this! I have to get one of these for testing, so if there are no immediate sales from any of you, I likely will be buying one and doing a writeup on it soon- write me if you’re interested in obtaining the unit we buy at a discounted used price in a few weeks. Read all about the VIA processor used in this PC, and VIA’s claims of this being the world’s first Carbon neutral Processor here.
I’m almost done with our first online video training series which will be available with a login to our website, very soon. Look for another announcement shortly. 
The open source application of the month is a very nice video editor I’ve been using - Avidemux is available free for Linux, BSD, Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows under the GNU GPL license. I’ve used it extensively to compress the audio in a source video, and to resize existing video. Click the image to check it out and go to the projects home page! All past open source applications of the month are listed on our website under articles and links, available once you create an account and login.
The cool gadgety thing this month isn’t any particular gadget or toy (this time), but I thought I’d take this  opportunity to tell you about some new power savings technology Panasonic has. They have a new type of microwave oven line out featuring “inverter” technology. If you are or will be in the market for a new microwave check these out: they can save you a lot of power by offering TRUE multi power level cooking and other cool features. While I can resell these (ironically), I couldn’t support it very well, so we better let that pass  Anyhow, check them out if interested, tell them your IT guy told you about them. (What??!). Seriously, you all know I’m highly interested in anything that lessens our carbon footprint on the planet, if there’s anything you think I should know about or mention to our readers, feel free to email me.
With your satisfaction and responsive service as my goal, we’ve authorized with another of the largest computer distributors (Techdata) this month that has a warehouse even closer than the other large one we use. My favorite distributor for parts had a PA warehouse I could get overnight delivery from for free via a contract they had with UPS: They recently switched to a Fedex plan that does not include free next day delivery (it’s hit or miss though, sometimes it is sometimes not, but no guarantee as we had with UPS. So, the other distributor I am working with now has a NJ warehouse which I expect fast shipping from as well. Florence I.T. has a very large variety from the largest worldwide distributors to buy from, so we can get pretty much anything you might need, and rest assured that we will stay on top of the best and most efficient delivery options for you as well.
Through a promotion with our partner, CA, we can offer discounts on all CA Security Software through the end of September. Roughly it’s $5 to $10 off each license depending on what product. Now is a great time to roll out security software that works automatically on all your PC’s. Additionally, CA software doesn’t slow your pc like some security software. Some sample sale prices: CA Security Suite 2007 3 user license is normally $70, now for $60, a 1 user license normally $50, now $45.00. There is a discount on the 10 users as well. As most of my clients are small business and nonprofits like you, I’ve decided to basically turn the entire sales rewards program into direct discounts for you, as I know you’ll appreciate the savings. Discounts only until the end of Sept. and only from your CA authorized Onsite Provider: Florence I.T.
Until next time..
Matt Lampiasi
Florence I.T. – A community IT shop.
On the web @ florenceit.net or 413-303-9167
The background image this month features the solar panels powering the florenceit.net web server.
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