How green is your network? D-Link sparks conversation on green factor of Ethernet gear

You don't hear the networking companies talk all the much about the green factor of their products. And yet, when you consider that things like routers and switches and firewalls are the lifeblood of the Internet and are ON ALL THE TIME, why isn't this so?

One VAR with whom I speak fairly frequently recalls discoveriing a year or so back that her preferred vendor for a particular product, WatchGuard, actually was the first in its class to meet the European Union's call for restrictions on certain hazardous substances. It also had come up with some other design features that made the product run more efficiently than others. And yet, it wasn't touting this fact. So, she picked up the ball for them.

One networking company that IS trumpeting its green factor is D-Link Systems, which introduced a series of Gigabit switches last fall for small and home offices and rack environments that comply with the Energy Star certification and that are meant to be power-managed more closely. Here's some specs on one of the specific products, the DGS-2205.

The company also has created a place on its Web site with some tips and best practices suggestions for how to get a better handle on the energy usage from networking equipment. Kudos to these guys for starting to get the word out.

I'm talking to Cisco in about a week to get the low-down on what they're doing. What's up with the other guys in this category? Reach out.