John Lewis beta tests Cisco green networking system

The retailer now hopes to make further use of the technology in the longer term as part of its strategy of cutting carbon emissions by 20 per cent.

Cisco has developed the EnergyWise system for its Catalyst network switches to measure, report and reduce the energy consumption of devices attached to the network.

John Lewis tested the system with its IP phones, using the management the system provides to switch off the power to the devices when they are not in use overnight.

John Lewis technical strategy manager Gary Hird told Retail Week that the company agreed to take part in the trial because it genuinely impressed with what Cisco is trying to achieve.

Hird said: “We have a programme of green IT, and we get approached by a lot of suppliers, but we don’t progress with 90 per cent of them.”

He added: “From a green point of view we want to work with suppliers who are demonstrating positive change.”

John Lewis chose to get involved early in the development of the technology so that it could provide feedback on the direction it would like it to take.

Cisco is planning for the EnergyWise technology to be added to devices such as PCs and laptops by the summer, and extended to building systems such as air conditioning systems, lifts, security and fire alarms from 2010.

Hird said that the longer-term prize of using this technology could be that John Lewis would get more central control of its building management systems.

Hird added that John Lewis’ green computing programme was also seeing it press ahead with trials of desktop virtualisation, after a successful programme to virtualise much of its server estate.

The partnership has also introduced a managed printing system at its Victoria head office, and is now considering extending this to other sites.