Should we all turn our computers off when we go home in the evening?

From Ciaran Kenny @ciaranjkenny

It’s not quite up there with the perennial debate as to whether Macs or PCs are better but it is one of those questions that never quite get answered. Generally the IT guys would prefer if you left your PC running all the time but, in these cost conscious times, they don’t really like to say that. And, of course, it’s not just cost – there are environmental considerations too. Just how much electricity are those PCs burning away while they do nothing for 16 hours or so each day – how much does that cost, how much carbon does that add to the atmosphere?

So why do the IT guys tell you to leave the PC on? Well, one reason is that most support desk calls are generated just after the computer is switched on – when things don’t go as expected: the machine doesn’t boot, or the password is rejected or it just takes an age. Simple then, don’t turn the machine off in the first place and eliminate those time consuming support calls. But there is another reason: PC operating systems are usually programmed to run a whole host of update and maintenance tasks during those twilight hours. All those security patches from Microsoft, anti-virus scanning, disk tidy ups etc. happen while you are tucked up in bed.

The pity about it is that Microsoft actually only, as a rule, releases patches once a month.

Virus scanning, if done regularly, only takes a few minutes. The same is true for other routine tasks such as disk defragmentation. But, for them to happen out of ours and not cause the PCs to slow down during working hours it seems the only way is to leave the computers on all the time.

Some IT support companies though have come to the conclusion that asking for computers to be left on all the time really is unsustainable in every sense of the word. And that is precisely the conclusion we have reached. We have spent some time putting together a detailed maintenance plan that takes into account whether users are logged on and runs all necessary maintenance at the earliest opportunity out of working hours. And, here’s the extra step – afterwards we shut the PC down. One small step but actually a major innovation – and we are looking at cost savings in terms of electricity consumption of up to £1,000 per year for some clients. And that is not to mention the reduced environmental impact and enhanced green credentials for the client.

So, back to the opening question, should you turn your PCs off in the evening? Well, yes and no, it depends who’s looking after them!