ReadWriteEnterprise

There's a reason that IDC, Forrester, and Gartner are so big. They offer scale and coverage that small firms can't match, and they attract industry heavyweights who can make or break emerging technologies. But there's a downside to scale. Unless you're a corporate whale, it's easy to get lost in the shuffle, and getting that superstar on the phone in a pinch might take more time than you have.

I'm certainly not suggesting that you throw away your existing subscriptions, particularly if you're a vendor or solution provider. Put some effort into those relationships, and they'll pay themselves back several times over. But there's something to be said for the little guy, and there are hundreds of smaller analysis firms that can provide you with the kind of service and support you need to make informed decisions on a daily basis.

The green movement is without a doubt affecting companies both large and small. Telecommuting, the virtual office and Web conferencing are all ways that companies can keep energy costs down while at the same time finding better ways to communicate and optimize business functions. This brief from Qwest Business explores the ways that businesses can leverage environmentally sound practices and technologies to build environmentally sustainable business architectures that save money through enhanced productivity and business efficiencies.

JouleX is a company founded by four former executives of Internet Security Systems, according to GreenMonk's Tom Raftery. But instead of hunting for security vulnerabilities, Joulex hunts for energy inefficiencies. It can monitor anything with an IP address - PCs, servers, even IP-enabled HVAC units, etc. - all without clients or hardware. It's priced according to the number of devices managed.

This week the company released a new version of the application and added a new mobile one that can adjust power consumption - dim lights, turn off devices etc. - based on a users location. JouleX also expanded its out-of-the-box IT infrastructure support, added support for Linux and Macintosh operating systems and added new reporting capabilities, such as the ability to automatically identify the biggest power hogs in an enterprise.