IBM, 1E, Verdiem ‘Best in Breed’ for PC Power Management

by | Jan 12, 2012

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1E, IBM and Verdiem should always be on the shortlist for companies seeking PC power management products, according to a report by technology consultants Ovum.

In Selecting a PC Power Management Solution Vendor, Ovum said the three vendors represent the leading products in the marketplace, widely accepted as “best of breed,” and have established commanding market positions.

The next tier of vendors, according to Ovum, comprise Alternative Vision of Business (AVOB), LANDesk and Verismic Software. The products offered by vendors in this category offer competitive functionality and a good combination of price and performance, and should be considered in companies’ technology selection process, Ovum said. These vendors have good market positioning, and are selling and marketing their products well, it added.

In the third tier, Ovum placed Autonomic Software, Data Synergy, Dell KACE, Faronics and Lumension. Products from these vendors have narrow applicability, and may have limited functionality, or the vendor may have a limited capability for execution, the report said. But these products may be worth exploring because they may still be suitable to meet specific requirements, Ovum said.

The leading products don’t vary dramatically in features and functionality, the consultancy said. But there are a few crucial differences between individual products. Some have been approved by electric utilities as being eligible for rebates. Others are designed to report on power savings in a way that can be easily integrated into larger environmental management efforts.

The report said that PC power management tends to be overlooked at most companies, usually because the IT department is not the one paying the electricity bills.

But it said that such products deliver a fast return on investment, typically six months or sooner, and while the energy savings per machine may be modest, PC power management can deliver substantial savings across a large group of machines. Ovum estimates that these products can save about $36 per machine per year in computer power consumption, with additional savings possible from lowered air conditioning requirements.

It notes that while most computers come with power-saving features built in, PC power management products can offer an additional 40 percent or greater power savings. Unlike built-in power saving features, PC power management tackles “PC insomnia”: when a machine is idle yet unable to shut itself down or switch into low-power mode.

PC power management products also shut down machines during non-business hours and automatically wake them up to perform maintenance, before shutting them down for the rest of the night.

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