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Our
Technology
At SustainIT and UKCEED we like to practice what we preach. We believe
that ICT can contribute to a more sustainable way of life, and so use
it ourselves to enable e-working, reduce business travel miles and operate
more effectively and productively. This has enabled us to improve our
business whilst at the same time reducing the negative impact the organisation
has on the environment.
At our Peterborough headquarters we have had a wireless LAN and ADSL broadband in place for the past 4 years. All employees have a laptop
that allows them to work on the move and to hotdesk when they are in
the office. The use of laptops also helps to facilitate home and remote
working that is a big part of the culture at UK CEED. Using our emissions
calculator, developed as part of our SusTel (Sustainable Teleworking)
project, we have found that our teleworking programme saves in the
region of **** lbs of CO2 emissions per year.
We have recently installed a new Windows 2003 Small Business Server
with Microsoft Exchange as our email server software. This new system
has
allowed us to make best use of VPN (Virtual Private Network) technology
that allows staff to access files on the server, when they are out
of the office.
The majority of UK CEED staff telework at least tow days per week,
and most connect to the organisational server using ADSL broadband
and the
UK CEED VPN. SustainIT programme manager Simon Hills recently secured
a satellite broadband trial for his village, where ADSL is not
available. After some initial teething problems the system is now up
and running.
SustainIT Director, Jonathan Selwyn, accesses his emails whilst
on the move. His SPV synchronises with the UK CEED email Exchange
Server
to
deliver crucial emails wherever he is (signal allowing of course).
Specifically, for the organisation, broadband has allowed us to:
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Make use of e-learning/ online learning activities |
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Cut ICT-related costs |
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Use the latest technology – such as VoIP (Voice over IP telephony) |
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Communicate with other organisations more effectively – e.g.
through the almost instant sharing of large documents and other files |
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To establish new ‘electronic’ relationships and networks |
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Produce and distribute a fortnightly online newsletter |
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Retain key staff, who are unable to travel into the office on a
daily basis |
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Carry out a large number of our administrative activities electronically |
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