HSBC switches to green computing

Global bank 'switches-off' to conserve energy

Financial services giant HSBC is to install software on all desktops across its international operations that will enable systematic switch-off of machines at night to reduce energy consumption.

The software will make overnight checks on all desktops to identify which are still running, and shut them down safely.

Matthew O’Neill, head of group IT distribution systems at HSBC, says switching off PCs is a simple change that contributes significantly to reducing energy.

‘We have hundreds of thousands of desktops, and leaving them on requires air conditioning to cool, which hugely contributes to energy losses,’ he said.

‘The biggest thing we can do is advise people to switch off their PCs overnight – it is a way of getting everyone involved.’

The bank, which has signed up to our Green Computing Charter, is implementing Nightwatchman software from 1E, which checks the desktop network and carries out an intelligent switch-off of desktops.

‘If a desktop is running an application it does not recognise, it will send me an error message and tell me it could not shut down,’ said O'Neill.

‘If I have enough of these errors I will investigate how I can shut it down myself, work with the application vendor to shut it down, or go back to the department and ask them to switch off – although we have not had to ask anyone to do that yet.’

The software required for switch-off has been rolled out on 20,000 desktops in London, but HSBC has purchased an international licence.

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