We are at the beginning a huge wave of new cloud based devices.

Everything from air conditioners to printers are beginning to be more applianced based with the ability for them to be centrally controlled and also alert the service company when something goes wrong, etc. There is also a huge movement to centralize computing with the bulk of the processing being down on the server end, and many devices that interface with the server.

We’ve had the emergence of a new kind of server based on a plug configuration that is very thin, power-efficient and focused on a single task.

Connected home-security camera systems are increasing as well, and we are increasingly surrounded by a network of cameras capturing all we do and reporting it someplace.

The majority of these devices are running Linux in an embedded form. It now seems that Linux will be the platform to distribute many products. This also means that Microsoft will also have to realize they will have a huge offering of their product on a Linux platform, and at the end of the day Linux is just cheaper and more efficient.

Most I.T. companies make their money servicing PCs and helping end users with Microsoft in many ways. The issue is the end users is screaming to us in this economy that they are willing to still spend money. They just want their money to go farther for more, and Linux gives them the opportunity to be able to get what they want.

In the end, we are likely seeing a beginning of a change that, much like the PC, is starting in the consumer space but will shortly cross over into business products and applications.

The Rebirth of Appliance Computing

Computing is now becoming a cyclical thing, as it has been around now long enough for this process to happen. Just like Vintage clothes now being back in style, so has the computing industry come back to server computing. The days of main frame servers and dumb terminals are far gone (except in rare POS instances or A/S 400 environments), but we are not in a server based world again, as PCs have basically come to a place where efficiency is not there.

Someone can by a new PC with 250 GB hard drive, 4 GB RAM, Dual Core processor, but will they be using it to full capacity, and the simple answer is almost never. For a business especially, centralize computing is key to savings and efficiency.

The bottom line that centralizing computing onto one box brings into play the ability to serve up only resources needed, cut down on waste (electricity and also resources), save space, and also saves money on downtime and support, which now is one of the most costly items to a company.

GCloud3 helps consolidate and do all of these things to help provide value, efficiency, and save money.

We have decided to point out how energy efficient and carbon-reductive our new product GCloud3. Everyone needs an extra push in this economy.

Servers alone suck up about 1 percent of the world’s electricity use, and software and hardware design will be crucial to keeping that percentage low as more and more devices go online. Already 55 percent of enterprises budget for virtualization of servers.

And the trend of marketing virtualization as a green tool — not just a way to save money by reducing the amount of servers purchased — will keep growing this year.

For individual companies, the tools can help cut energy consumption by 80 percent, and each server taken out of a datacenter cuts out four tons of carbon emissions.

Consolidating your entire network to one box, and swapping out your desktops for thin-clients can lower your energy usage by as much as 97%.

One thing most companies miss is the fact that if your current desktops are re-used after conversion to thin-clients, you will save your computers from ending up in a landfill. When they die, you can recycle them, and replace them with a thin-client, to maximize your energy usage.

One more thing that is forgotten, usually a monitor lasts longer than a computer. When a desktop dies, we replace the monitor and the desktop, because we want the latest and greatest. If the desktop is swapped out with a thin-client, the monitor can stay, and even better, the thin-client can be attached to the back of a monitor, as it is the size of a small book.

So think Green, when you think GCloud3!