Dell's green goal for 2008
208423
Dell aims to become "carbon neutral" in 2008 by zeroing out carbon emissions, implementing recycling program, according to newspaper report.
757799
Recycling of consumer electronics may get a boost in the U.S. through a planned legislative mandate supported by HP, Dell and Sony.
365638
(InfoWorld) - Green ITÂ is something of a chameleon that appeals to different users on different levels. From a 10,000-foot perspective, it's hard to knock the benefits of energy efficiency, recycling and vendors working side by side with users to promote the green agenda. However, many users are finding it difficult to adopt a technology that is not characterized by a wide selection of physical products that they can buy and implement in their IT infrastructures today. In the absence of a mature green IT market, users such as PMI Mortgage Insurance and Cooper Communities are cobbling together green strategies that are saving them money without negatively impacting IT performance. Many of these strategies are based on internal development efforts, while a limited number are taking shape with vendor input. For now, it seems, going green mostly means going it alone, which leaves a big vacuum for vendors to fill with their emerging green IT marketing plans. Greenwashing? Greg Schulz, founder and senior analyst at The StorageIO Group, a Stillwater, Minn.-based market research firm, takes a dim view of incipient green IT efforts, accusing vendors of "greenwashing" the market. "There's money in the green story," he asserts. "If you can make your story sell by making it sound green and appealing to that feel-good green aspect of the market, you're going to get money out of it." Using storage as an example, Schulz cites Hewlett-Packard's June unveiling of its Adaptive Infrastructure offerings, which are described in a press release that starts out saying, "HP today introduced 'green' storage technology that can cut storage array power and cooling costs in data center by 50 percent." HP's new offering includes thin provisioning and performance enhancements for the HP StorageWorks Enterprise Virtual Array family, tape drives based on the Linear Tape Open 4 standard, new DAT 160 tapes for small and medium-size businesses, and the first HP StorageWorks tape product developed exclusively for HP BladeSystem c-Class enclosures. Schulz says the press release's focus on green is misleading because data is being moved from disk to tape, or to another tier without optimizing the products to consume less power. According to him, it's simply a shift to another technology, but it's touted as part of HP's green initiative. Schulz acknowledges that virtualization can help reduce the number of servers, but he wonders if consolidating servers is really a shell game with no net benefits. "Here's the catch," he says. "If I go to 10 servers down to one, have I saved on power? Maybe. But does that server that I consolidate down to consume any more power than the other ones? It should, but is the ratio 10-to-1, 5-to-1, or 2-to-1?" The bottom line rules Â At this early stage in the green IT game, it's hard to make definitive statements, because strategies are still being formulated by vendors and users. This is highlighted by the results of a May 2007 Forrester survey of 124 IT managers and procurement professionals in North America and Europe. The report, entitledÂ Tapping Buyers' Growing Interest in Green IT, notes that while 85% of respondents said that environmental factors are important in planning IT operations, only one quarter said they have written green criteria into their companies' purchasing processes. In the end, of course, it all boils down to the bottom line. As one survey respondent declared, "We would do green because itÂ makes business sense,Â not because it's green. It would have to show cost savings." The report's author, Christopher Mines, notes: "We heard two reasons why green matters: efficiency and corporate responsibility. Most IT decision-makers told us that a green purchase would only happen in the context of cost reduction. These are hard-headed, ROI-driven business decisions." Follow the vendor As usual, the vendors are driving the initiative. Gordon Graylish, vice president of Intel's sales and marketing group for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, says that manufacturers have made significant progress in energy-saving products while the user community is still playing catch-up. David Boone, operations and planning manager at the Denver Health and Hospital Authority, says he is just learning about green IT for the first time. "I think it's a good concept," he says. "There are some things that can be done to reduce energy consumption, but I think when you look at the computer world, I just don't know if it's feasible at this point in time." While he isn't using new technology to attain his green goals, Stanley M. Pachura, senior vice president, corporate systems, at Walnut Creek, Calif.-based PMI Mortgage Insurance, says he believes he's more in tune with conservation than many. To him, green IT means efficiency in power consumption and reductions in pollution -- both in terms of emissions and hardware waste. He says that through his primary vendors,Â IBMÂ and Sun Microsystems, he is seeing products that also allow him to implement an infrastructure that uses less energy. "I'm thinking in terms of server consolidation technology that's allowing us to just run less physical hardware," Pachura says. "And second, desktop virtualization is allowing us to promote work-at-home-type environments, so we're not only decreasing the amount of real estate that we're heating, cooling and supporting, but also allowing people to work at home, which reduces commuting and emissions." According to Pachura, PMI has successfully deployed more than 215 virtual servers utilizing EMC'sÂ VMware. software. PMI's technology rollout includes the replacement of 140 existing physical hosts as well as the introduction of 75 new virtual environments directly on only 13 IBM x3850 servers (eight 3-GHz processors, 32GB of memory). The systems supported include both production and preproduction transactional systems, database servers, and file and print servers. Pachura says he believes that IBM's recently announced Project Big Green, which is designed to make both IBM's and its customers' IT infrastructures more energy efficient, is a sincere effort, because IBM probably runs more data centers than anyone else in the world, so energy savings and ecological support would be logical goals. He also says that green programs being implemented by vendors are important because they drive innovation not only in their own data centers, but in those of their customers as well. Despite the "hard-headed" bottom-line-oriented approach to green IT described by the Forrester report, there is a higher calling here for some converts, who feel there is a moral obligation as well -- and this moral obligation doesn't exclude financial concerns but operates in conjunction with them. This is the stance of Pat Samples, vice president of information systems at Rogers, Ark.-based Cooper Communities, who also says he is saving money by being green. "I think there is a moral compunction," he says. "We are doing things in our personal lives, and things to reduce paper products and recycle. All those sorts of things really need to carry over to the systems side of IT." Toward that goal, his company is reducing power consumption and recycling hardware with the help of Access Recycling in Springdale, Ark., which either tears the equipment apart or repurposes it. Samples says his company is saving money via green IT in a couple of ways. "First of all, new equipment is more power-efficient," he says. "In some places, we're retiring two and three servers. So electrical consumption is going to go down, and we're going to save money on licensing costs because we'll have one server doing the job of two or three." Cooper Communities, which is a land development company, has received awards for its environmental programs. The kudos include an environmental stewardship award from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, and the Stockton Award from the Northwest Arkansas Audubon Society. In addition, The Nature Conservancy has established the Cooper Family Conservation Award, which is presented annually to a business that makes outstanding contributions to conservation in Arkansas. The company's primary vendors are Dell Inc., HP and Cisco Systems Inc., and even though his green strategies have been developed internally and independently of those vendors, Samples says he still believes that the overall vendor community is slowly moving toward a greener IT orientation. "I think it's something the major IT vendors are starting to address," he states. "I don't think they're where they need to be yet. As far as I know, servers are not meeting green IT initiatives. Desktops are certainly getting there, but I don't think that server and network infrastructures have been addressed the same way." Boone says his hospital can save some energy by turning off PCs that are only used during the day and lights that are not serving any purpose. But when it comes to technology, he says, "if it needs power, you're going to use that power to get the job done." Whether or not vendors are repackaging their existing products and calling them green is a matter for debate. In the mean time, PMI Mortgage's Pachura seems to sum up the attitude of many users when he says, "I think that what's really not [product] repackaging is the vendors working with their customers to deploy green technology. We're actually seeing activities from the vendors where they're willing to come out and help understand how you can have a more ecology-friendly implementation."
54733
Don't expect to see a Dell Labs that focuses on fundamental research or a major move into highly bespoke "Big Iron" servers. But we are seeing a Dell that is showing some flexibility on what were once all-or-nothing principles.
684829
At a time when economists and politicians fret over the future of American manufacturing, Dell isn't just defying a global trend, it's helping to set the standard.
111074
By MATT SLAGLE  DALLAS - In a memo to Dell Inc. employees days after returning as chief executive officer, Michael Dell said the beleaguered computer maker is quashing bonuses for 2006 and reducing managers to help cut costs and steer the company back toward dominance.
166297
Dell Inc. became the world's biggest personal computer maker through hyper-efficient simplicity. All Dell machines used Intel chips, ran Microsoft Windows and came direct from factory to customer.
549873
By Hazimin Sulaiman  TECH companies are gradually moving towards a greener Earth with a little push from the Climate Savers Computing Initiative (CSCI) pioneered by Intel and Google. The initiative is rapidly gaining momentum among major IT players.
141825
(InfoWorld) - In a bid to reassure nervous investorsÂ in the wake of a federal investigationÂ and aÂ battery recall, Dell executives have announced a corporate overhaul dubbed "Dell 2.0." The strategy calls for Dell to recover from slumping profits by making a series of basic changes, such as building factories closer to emerging markets, and putting more emphasis on industrial design, Chief Executive Officer Kevin Rollins said Tuesday in New York at Dell's annual Technology Day. "We've spent the last 22 years following the Dell business model, but as the marketplace changes, the needs and desires of our customers have also changed," Rollins said. "We are re-evaluating every aspect of our business model, from supply chain and design to customer service and support." Dell is suffering through a brutal stretch. The company announced on Monday that it would delay filing its quarterly Form 10-Q because an investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission had raised the possibility Dell might have to restate past quarterly earnings figures. And in August Dell worked with the Consumer Product Safety Commission to recall 4.1 million laptop batteries with a defect that could cause them to overheat and possibly catch fire. Under its new plan, the company will form a team of 60 designers by the end of 2006, dedicated to improving the design and usability of Dell PCs instead of focusing solely on price and performance. And the company has already begun to move away from its centralized production model by building PC factories in emerging markets like Brazil, India and Central Europe, he said. In other aspects of the overhaul, Dell said in July it wouldÂ begin using consistently low prices instead of complex rebates, and said in June it would offer enterprise-scale IT management to midsize companies under a Platinum Plus services plan. The strategy extends to products, too. Under the new strategy, Dell will continue to design PCs with chips from Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD). Until recently, Dell had used only Intel Corp. processors, but this week launched two AMD-powered desktops and plans to sell AMD-based servers by the end of 2006. Dell's transition to a two-processor company is harder than simply swapping chips, said Chief Technology Officer Kevin Kettler. As Dell engineers create AMD-based PCs, they face a host of challenges -- testing and evaluating the systems, creating a logistics plan to supply processors to factories worldwide, and fitting the new components into their supply chain management plans. "Any time you bring on a new vendor to introduce a major piece of silicon, there's a natural process of aligning the new technology with our products," Kettler said. "I personally have worked for seven years with AMD on Dell's behalf, driving Opteron technology into the server space. This is not a short term, one-product-and-out deal, but a long-term relationship." In another design-centric change, Dell will join Hewlett-Packard Co. and Lenovo Group Ltd. to use DisplayPort, an interface standard that enables high-speed, two-way communications between PCs and displays. The new specs were approved in May by a governing body called the Video Electronics Standards Association. Under current technology, engineers use graphics controllers inside PCs and TVs to send signals to either digital or analog monitors ranging from CRTs (cathode ray tubes) to LCDs (liquid crystal displays) and plasma screens. "Those interfaces all just evolved, so you need to do development over three different interfaces with a multitude of technologies, and you can't take advantage of shared resources," said Kettler. In contrast, the new standard will use PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) Express interface to forge a "direct drive" link between the PC and monitor, always keeping the information in digital format. That will allow designers to build displays with embedded cameras and microphones, and will also preserve digital rights management, ensuring that data flowing across the cable can be only displayed, not copied, Kettler said. Â
294578
Dell&#39;s efforts to reinvent itself this year through a dramatic break from its direct-sales model, expanded services, and new enterprise offerings have shown positive early results, but some users have lingering concerns about supply chain management and support -- long-time issues for the company.Weathering an accounting scandal and a slump in profit,&#160;founder Michael Dell reclaimed the helm of the company after CEO Kevin Rollins resigned in January, quickly replacing top managers and in May announcing plans to lay off 10 percent of the company&#39;s workforce.For years, Dell was the top PC vendor in the world, an acknowledged master of logistics in a business where margins can be razor-thin. It was efficient enough to keep prices low to ward off competition without suffering big setbacks in profits. But by 2006, when Hewlett-Packard unseated Dell as global PC leader, that was no longer the case.Dell&#39;s plans to regain its former dominance have resounded in the market. The company&#39;s third-quarter results, announced two weeks ago, showed profit increasing year over year, and record revenue of $15.65 billion. During the company&#39;s earnings call, Michael Dell said the company will put products on more retail shelves worldwide while also helping business customers &quot;simplify IT&quot; and reduce maintenance costs via customized hardware, software, and services.The company has also moved to put accounting issues behind it, recently&#160;completing an internal investigation and restating its financial results from fiscal 2003 to the first quarter of 2007.The company has been making an effort to build relationships with customers and partners and deliver products that are easier to deploy and manage, said Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT.Last month, Dell introduced a two-tier channel program designed to give partners better access to Dell&#39;s training, marketing, certification, and online resources. The program will provide a better chance for Dell to interact and understand its partners&#39; needs, the company said.&quot;The company seems to recognize that it has bridges to enhance with customers and partners in the channel. It&#39;s not something that&#39;s going to change overnight,&quot; King said.After years of success selling PCs directly to users, the consumer business&#39; direct-sales business model hit a wall as component prices fell, Pund-IT&#39;s King said. The strategy to simplify IT is a play at SMBs that will help Dell deliver better returns in the long term than its lower-margin direct consumer business, analysts said.However, some customers continue to have concerns about the company&#39;s support and supply chain issues.Dell is having supply shortages and can&#39;t get its servers and OptiPlex desktops to individuals and small businesses in a timely manner, said Josh Kaplan, who runs a franchise of computer support firm Rescuecom and purchases parts and interacts with Dell on behalf of customers.&quot;You can acquire all the technology you want, but Dell will send hardware out blindly,&quot; Kaplan said. It will be a challenge for Dell to deliver what it calls &quot;IT in a box&quot; -- its terms for packages of products and services -- to SMBs and enterprises, Kaplan said. Dell has traditionally delivered mostly standardized systems, Kaplan said. While Dell has built systems to order by letting users select from a menu of options, it does not have in-depth experience offering customers services over the lifecycle of products, he said.Jeremy Cole, owner of Proven Scaling, a small consulting firm with offices in the U.S. and U.K., said Dell has internal staffing issues that affect its support services.&quot;Dell&#39;s sales structure is really strange. They tend to bounce your company around to a new account representative every few months who are wildly differing in experience, intelligence, and understanding of the Dell sales system,&quot; Cole said.Cole is satisfied with Dell equipment but said the company needs to show more support for open-source applications and the Linux OS. &quot;It&#39;s clear that Dell cares about Linux in that all its server-class hardware is well-supported by the Linux kernel and it has many people dedicated to making sure that&#39;s the case. However, it&#39;s not good enough just to boot,&quot; Cole said.Though generally positive about Dell&#39;s support, Jason Dunn, who runs Thoughts Media, which publishes Web sites for technology enthusiasts, couldn&#39;t resolve certain LCD&#160;monitor problems with Dell offshore support representatives. He had good experiences with Dell&#39;s PC and HDTV support representatives, so the experience varies, Dunn said.Other users have had a good experience with Dell&#39;s strategy to simplify IT. Dell&#39;s efforts have paid dividends for Bikeworld.com, a medium-size retail business in San Antonio, which saved money by cutting its internal IT person. The company uses Dell systems with Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System, connected to multiple offices via a VPN.&quot;Businesses are in a belt-tightening mode. You can&#39;t have extra people on payroll,&quot; said Whit Snell, general partner at Bikeworld.com. Bikeworld has resolved IT problems with Dell remotely and has a contact readily available to help with problems.Dell officials were not available for comment on support issues.Overall, Dell is trying to be more proactive and helpful, said Kurt Scherf, vice president and principal analyst at Parks Associates. Dell&#39;s new enterprise support services to simplify IT, like remote management services, could, if successful, trickle into the consumer segment, which could benefit end-users, Scherf said.Dell this year has tied up with retailers like Staples,&#160;Wal-Mart, and&#160;Best Buy&#160;to distribute PCs, something competitors HP and Acer have been successful at. But if Dell wants to make sure its customers aren&#39;t tempted by HP or Lenovo in the retail market, fixing problems that some users report about its support infrastructure has to be on top of the company&#39;s to-do list, Pund-IT&#39;s King said.Building out retail partnerships changes the consumer-facing relationships for Dell, which could lead to positive changes in the company&#39;s support and services. The results are a work in progress, King said.Balancing out its business model, Dell is showing signs that renewed efforts in the higher-end business sector are catching on, with third-quarter revenue growing in the server and storage markets. The enterprise market provides better margins than retail, and the remote management services market is growing, King said. Dell is trying to address that through acquisitions and by creating a services organization and specialized products targeted at professionals and businesses.The company this year&#160;acquired SAN (storage area network) vendor EqualLogic&#160;and managed services companies&#160;Everdream&#160;and Silverback. It announced a deal with Sun to offer the company&#39;s Solaris OS.Dell has been pushing hard to improve its systems management portfolio, especially remote desktop management capabilities that could help simplify complex IT infrastructures. In October, the company announced On-Demand Desktop Streaming, a server-based platform that streams the OS, applications and data to diskless desktop clients over a Gigabit Ethernet network.By offering design improvements and bundling software and services like remote management, Dell is trying to get the focus off of price and moving to build the framework for a new business model for the enterprise, said John Spooner, senior analyst at Technology Business Research.Dell&#39;s reinvention should come as no surprise as Michael Dell is on a mission to reconstruct his company, Pund-IT&#39;s King said. &quot;It must have been hard for Dell to see a company he built falter,&quot; King said. He is putting money in the right spots, and competitors like HP and IBM will do well to keep a close eye on Dell, King said.
6600
The Brave Little Toaster is horrified Dell is launching a new online computer recycling program for small businesses looking to securely curb their unused electronics on the cheap.â¦
475688
Notebook PCs coming out this year will likely include more colorful screens thanks to LED (light emitting diode) backlights and Blu-ray Disc optical drives this year, an executive from Micro-Star International (MSI) says, as well as more environmentally friendly attributes.
404556
InfoWorld - Dell's efforts to reinvent itself this year through a dramatic break from its direct-sales model, expanded services, and new enterprise offerings have shown positive early results, but some users have lingering concerns about supply chain management and support -- long-time issues for the company.
393727
By MATT SLAGLE DALLAS - Flamingo pink laptops, anyone? Computer maker Dell Inc. is hoping its image as a stodgy maker of desktop and notebook computers is about to end, and it's banking on some new color options and designs to do the trick.
305116
Green tech financiers share tips for spotting sustainable startups.
303163
HP and Dell, which together sell more than half the country's PCs, get kudos for using more eco-friendly components and recycling their products when consumers discard them. By the Associated Press.
380091
Google and Intel today kicked off an effort to help blunt the impact of global warming by bringing greater energy efficiency to personal computers and servers.