Eco-Friendly Options

Dec 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Stephanie Silk

Pressure on businesses to be “greener” is only going to rise in 2008. Security equipment has not historically been affected by green concerns, but that could change. Here is a sampling, and we're sure there are more options on the way.

Last May, IBM kicked off its “Big Green Innovations” program that takes aim at everything from creating “carbon dashboards” that help corporations lower their supply chain's carbon emissions to designing energy-efficient data centers and more powerful solar cells.

WatchGuard Technologies, a provider of network security solutions, is emphasizing a newly revealed “green” business and technology initiative.

WatchGuard's Firebox Peak series appliances drew just under 1 amp and 1.1 amps while under load according to a recently published enterprise-class Unified Threat Management (UTM) product review. The power consumption of that product drew two to five times less power than comparing systems.

WatchGuard is also the first to offer Zero Carbon Upgrades, an initiative that allows businesses to upgrade to higher performance Firebox models without having to purchase new hardware. Having to transport new appliances to the customer and the environmental impact that that takes is now eliminated along with the disposal of old appliances.

Eric Aarrestad, vice president of marketing at WatchGuard, says his company's performance goes beyond the appliances. “Best in class includes giving businesses security solutions that use minimal power, exceed stringent environmental regulations and help reduce carbon footprints on a global scale.”

NEC Corp., a provider of Internet, broadband network and enterprise business solutions, is also developing eco-friendly products, starting with a wireless camera. A prototype for this camera uses energy from fluorescent light tubes to power up.

The surveillance camera is tethered to the fluorescent light by a single wire with a ring-like adapter at one end, and it is activated when the lights are turned on. The act of flipping the light switch activates the electricity generated by technology located in the ring through electromagnetic induction. Sharp unveiled this power supply technology in January 2006.

The magnetic field created by the AC source in the fluorescent light tubes is the energy source the technology development utilizes. The magnetic field frequency of 45 to 100 kHz can be used by the ring to generate enough electricity, (120 mW), to power up the camera. The images are transferred to a PC utilizing an ordinary Wi-Fi chip that draws power from the fluorescent light source.

In the workplace, the surveillance cameras can be used to monitor employees, and can be neatly tucked away in the false ceilings along side the fluorescent tubes.

The average American car that is on security patrol 24/7 is 11 times less efficient than the next up-and-coming trend — Segways. Segway Personal Transporters (Pts) may begin to see as much road in 2008 as patrolling SUV's saw in 2007. The Segways are battery powered, and are environmentally friendly in both emissions created and energy consumed. They are four times more efficient than the leading hybrids, and drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and substantially increase energy efficiency by replacing short-distance single-occupancy car journeys.

The Security Department at Bronson Healthcare Group in Kalamazoo, Mich., is already using Segways to their benefit, moving security around the campus smoothly and quietly, yet at two to three times walking speed for faster response times to inquiries and emergencies.

“The Segway Pts are a new way for us to reduce our footprint on the environment, so to speak,” says Dan Kettenbeil, director for facilities and security. “We currently put around 40,000 miles a year on our security vehicles patrolling our campus. So the Segways will have substantial savings for us.”

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© 2012 Penton Media Inc.

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