In the enterprise and branch offices, organizations want wired and wireless connectivity at all locations.  The network is the foundation that controls nearly every technical aspect of a business, and ubiquitous connectivity is critical  . consumption.

Businesses often install additional wired and wireless network equipment to handle this greater demand, which can leave network hardware online but idle, drawing power unnecessarily.  The practice has become a concern for businesses looking to cut costs, reduce energy consumption and reduce car f their print.

Enterprises looking to reduce their carbon footprint can follow some best practices that can help deliver end-to-end network functionality and improve overall energy efficiency.

Network practice of wasting power consumption

Businesses often add network equipment to access data centers to manage the need for anytime, anywhere access and the growth in IoT usage.  While more devices can support greater network connectivity needs, it also has some side effects that lead to unnecessary waste of energy.

Other ways networking teams increase power consumption include:

Inefficient equipment cooling

Equipment closets and data centers populated by too many network devices can lead to cooling inefficiencies.

Excessive use of twisted pair copper cables

It takes three to four times more energy to transmit and receive data over copper Ethernet than a fiber optic connection.

All switches are in active mode

In many data centers and access switch closets, a switch or part of a switch stack remains fully powered despite not being used.

All switch ports are in full power mode. Whether the network switch port is active, inactive, or only running a short distance on the copper cable, the power delivery setting automatically defaults to full operation and output.

Power over Ethernet Consumption

PoE devices such as IP phones, video conferencing systems, wireless access points, and smart PoE lighting systems remain powered 24/7.

How to Reduce Network Energy Consumption and Cost

The way enterprise network teams work often adds to their enterprise's power consumption, but there are several best practices teams can follow to reduce energy waste. In some cases, businesses can make their networks more energy efficient with only a small investment. In other cases, teams need to make larger changes to their network configurations to realize the benefits of energy savings.

Networking teams can make the following changes to reduce power consumption:

● Manages airflow for improved cooling efficiency

● Use copper wire only when necessary

● Disable switch ports when not in use

● Configure network switch power efficiency

1. Manage airflow and improve cooling efficiency

If the network closet or data center has an ineffective airflow design, it can result in the need for more cooling in the data center. Instead, businesses can invest in network rack blanking panels and diffusers to prevent cold exhaust air from mixing with hot air as the equipment exhausts.

2. Use copper wire only when necessary

Unless the network design calls for PoE to use twisted-pair copper cables, or twisted-pair cables are the only option for device connections, networking teams should use fiber-optic cables because they require less power to operate.

3. Disable switch ports when not in use

Most enterprise-class network switch hardware has the ability to schedule when switch ports are enabled or disabled. This capability is especially important for switch ports that power PoE devices. Businesses can set up a schedule to shut down ports and related PoE devices during off-hours to save even more energy.

4. Configure network switch power efficiency

Many network switch vendors offer configurations that help reduce network power consumption and save energy, including the following features:

● Automatically put idle switch stacks into standby mode

● Detects idle switch ports and puts them into standby mode

● Identify unused network uplinks and place them in low-power sleep mode

● Detects short copper or fiber optic cable runs and reduces transmit power output

Summarize

When it comes to day-to-day network operations, following these methods to reduce energy usage can be helpful for businesses.  However, businesses may also consider using PoE-connected smart sensors to supplement cost savings and reduce energy consumption throughout.

PoE-connected smart sensors can identify unoccupied parts of a building and disable or reduce lighting, heating and cooling in those areas.  The use of network-connected smart sensors is a growing trend that puts the network at the heart of energy conservation.