From the Desk of Edison Support – How to Manage Multiple User Profiles on a Single Computer

Edison is a global user application, which means that the settings in the application are not user-specific and are subsequently applied to all users on a PC. This is something to keep in mind as you set your work schedule.

For example, if the users of a shared computer tend to use it at different times throughout the day, set the schedule to account for the times that the computer is generally in use for all users.

Edison featured on CNN and American Public Media

CNN’s “Energy Fix” program last Thursday included commentary on Edison from Verdiem’s Kevin Klustner. To watch the interview online, go here.

If you’re interested in radio coverage, check out this link to hear Kevin discussing Edison and Verdiem’s strategy and goals behind the product on American Public Media’s “Future Tense” program.

According to CIO, SURVEYOR Helps Washington Mutual Cut IT Costs

CIO posted a great piece on how Verdiem SURVEYOR has helped Washington Mutual reduce energy costs, energy consumption and related carbon emissions.

According to the article, Washington Mutual has cut PC-related greenhouse gas emissions by 65% and is on track to save $3 million on electricity costs in 2008.

To learn more about how Washington Mutual has implemented and utilized SURVEYOR, read the article here.

From the Desk of Edison Support – Explaining Why Some PC’s Just Don’t Want to Sleep

In addition to the Power Alley’s postings on current events and product news, we’d like to use this blog as a forum to highlight some of the frequently asked questions (and answers!) we’ve received from Edison users since launch.

Today, we’re explaining why some computers simply will not go to sleep at the time they’ve been set for.

And the answer is…

Edison uses the built-in Windows power management functionality to put your PC and monitor to sleep. Within Windows is a tool called an idle timer which monitors idle activity on your PC and, when the idle timer deems a system idle for a specified amount of time, Windows moves the PC into a lower power state (i.e. sleep mode).

The lack of sleeping – or what we call PC insomnia -- is generally caused by various applications and processes that can reset the idle timer. Some common examples include search archiving, virus scans, backup processes, and interactive web pages. Media applications, when running, are also common examples of items that would keep your computer awake.

Unfortunately, this problem cannot always be solved. However, if you find it happening to you, you can try to close applications that are unnecessarily running on your machine, like a media player.

For the enterprise environment, Verdiem SURVEYOR solves this issue by instituting a separate idle timer that better monitors and controls sleep settings, ensuring PCs always go to sleep as directed.

How to Make the Most of Your Edison Experience

So you’ve downloaded and are using Edison on your PC, but are still looking for ways to maximize its impact in your home?

Here are a few tips and tricks to help you accomplish just that.

-Customize your “Work Time” and “Non-Work Time” settings – Take a few minutes to consider the ideal amount of time for your PC to stay on when you are using it for work and when you are using it for fun. For example, you may prefer for your display to turn off after 5 minutes when you are just surfing the Internet, but would rather it stay on for 15 minutes when you are using it for work.

-Carefully examine your work schedule – If you have Edison on a home PC that you don’t actually use for work, consider setting your schedule so that everyday is “Non-Work Time” with a stricter policy.

-Make sure your PC’s settings allow for you to wake it via keyboard or mouse activity – Enabling your PC to wake-up in multiple ways will create a better overall wake-up experience. Tip: If you choose to wake-up your PC using the power button, just make sure you don’t hold it down for so long that it shuts off completely!

How do you make the most of Edison in your home? Let our readers know so they can follow suit!