Technology Reseller - v21 2019

technology reseller.co.uk INNOVATIONS 07 Time for a rethink The University of Bristol is calling on technology and media companies to rethink the design of digital services to cut carbon emissions. Chris Preist, Professor of Sustainability and Computer Systems at Bristol’s Faculty of Engineering, said: “Digital services require significant energy to deliver globally – not only in data centres, but also in networks, mobile networks and end devices – and overall can have a big carbon footprint.” Human-computer interaction researchers at the University of Bristol calculated that in 2016 the energy used to stream 1 billion hours of YouTube videos every day had a carbon footprint of 10Mt CO2e (million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent), the same as a city the size of Glasgow. They worked out that redesigning services to avoid sending images to users who only use YouTube to listen to audio could reduce carbon emissions by between 100 and 500Kt CO2e annually, equivalent to the annual footprint of 30,000 UK homes. Come Hell or high water CRU has launched a new 5-Bay Network Attached Storage (NAS) device that can protect up to 140TB of data from fire or water damage in the event of a disaster. The ioSafe 1019+ is built to withstand temperatures of up to 1,550 degrees Fahrenheit for up to 30 minutes – long enough to survive most fires – or submersion in up to 10 feet of water for three days. It is based on the Synology DS1019+ NAS device and uses the Synology Disk Station Manager (DSM) operating system in combination with ioSafe’s patented DataCast and Hydrosafe technologies to protect hard drives and stored data from damage. Other features include 256-bit AES encryption and a full data recovery service, as well as data backup, file syncing and sharing, and media management. CRU CEO Randal Barber said: “Following CRU’s acquisition of ioSafe in July 2018, we’ve been working to release new disaster-proof ioSafe devices. The 1019+ is the first of these products.” www.cru-inc.com Made to measure displays Samsung describes The Wall Professional as the ultimate made-to-measure, attention-grabbing display for any business or living space. Now available to order from select partners, the modular, luxury display combines LED technology, innovative colour/brightness and custom shapes and sizes to fit unusual wall dimensions, pillars and even door frames. Use it in combination with the MagicINFO content management solution to display advertising, corporate videos or animated logos; to schedule different scenes to appear at various times; or to create bespoke signage. Or, for domestic applications, upgrade to The Wall Luxury, which includes additional technology for easy integration with any home control system. samsung.com/uk/the-wall Party on Vivitek’s new Qumi Z1 portable projector series is the ideal accessory for the summer party season, thanks to its ability to project an image up to 100 inches in size from the built-in media player or any WiFi, USB or HDMI- connected device. Use it to display apps, to stream online or pre-loaded content or to mirror content from compatible Android phones. Two built- in 5W stereo speakers provide high impact multimedia, with the option of a battery-saving speaker-only mode when only audio is required. www.vivitek.eu App takes the strain Virgin Trains is hoping to improve customer satisfaction levels with the launch of two apps designed to improve information sharing during times of disruption. Back on Track, co-created by ServiceNow, connects frontline staff with teams behind the scenes to ensure staff have accurate, up-to-date information to pass on to customers, such as advice about alternative routes and ticket acceptance. Making use of the same data, the second app, Track ‘n’ Travel, enables customers to review their journey pre- and post- departure in real time. Virgin Trains estimates that the apps could halve the number of calls to inbound teams and cut the time needed to resolve incidents by at least 20 minutes. https://track-travel.virgintrains.co.uk/ EDITOR’S CHOICE AWARD C RU i o S a f e 1 0 1 9 + 9