Focus on Energy: Server virtualization saves Cogdell Spencer ERDMAN $18,000 in annual energy costs

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Mark Treichel

Hoffman York

(414) 225-9554

mtreichel@hyc.com

– IT department virtualizes 53 servers onto three host servers –

Madison, Wis. — Cogdell Spencer ERDMAN, a fully integrated healthcare facilities company, recently received $26,000 from Focus on Energy, Wisconsin’s statewide program for energy efficiency and renewable energy, in partnership with Alliant Energy, for completing an energy-efficient server virtualization project at its Madison, Wis. data center.

Server virtualization reduces the need for multiple physical servers in an IT department by running multiple, independent operating systems on a single computer. In doing so, numerous servers which are each underutilized can be consolidated onto a much smaller number of highly utilized machines. Since a single underutilized server uses almost as much electricity as a server running many virtual machines, server virtualization substantially reduces energy consumption and operating costs.

Cogdell Spencer ERDMAN was able to virtualize 53 of its servers onto three host severs, saving more than 240,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually – enough energy to power 24 Wisconsin homes for a year. The data center will save $18,000 on its energy bills each year and reduce its cooling requirements by having fewer servers – saving on the cost of cooling systems and the electricity to power them.

“At Cogdell Spencer ERDMAN, we challenge ourselves daily to be better, faster, smarter, and greener in delivering services to our customers,” said Patricia La Forge, vice president of information technology at Cogdell Spencer ERDMAN. “What guides our business practices clearly resonates within IT and in our pursuit of virtualized technologies. The benefits provide clear value to the business and IT – we’re better in executing day-to-day administration and delivering reliability; faster in responding to our growing software and storage needs; smarter when implementing new infrastructure to support our company; and absolutely greener when it comes to technology’s insatiable appetite for power and cooling.”

Not only do these upgrades save energy and money, but they’re also environmentally friendly. The annual environmental benefits are equivalent to offsetting 470 barrels of oil from being burned – eliminating more than 407,000 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) from being released into the atmosphere.

“According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, volume servers account for 68 percent of the electricity consumed by IT data centers. Yet, most of these servers are underutilized, presenting a prime opportunity for consolidation and energy savings,” said Ken Williams, Focus on Energy’s business programs director. “Cogdell Spencer ERDMAN is a great example of a company that is going out of its way to find innovative solutions to save money and conserve energy.”

To learn how to save energy throughout your IT department, join Focus on Energy at the Energy-Efficient Computing Summit: Cutting-Edge Practices to Achieve Real Savings on July 20, 2010 at the Fluno Center for Executive Education in Madison, Wis. This one-day seminar will be packed with proven ways your IT operations and data center can increase efficiency, maximize performance, and save money. For more information, call (800) 762-7077 or visit focusonenergy.com/greenIT.

About Cogdell Spencer ERDMANSM

Cogdell Spencer ERDMAN is the nation’s premier integrated healthcare facilities company. Our clients count on us as a trusted partner in defining their healthcare delivery strategies and developing innovative facilities solutions to support them. We are widely recognized for creating sustainable, efficient healing environments for our clients and their patients. The Company has been built around understanding and addressing the full range of specialized real estate needs of the healthcare industry. Cogdell Spencer ERDMAN is a service mark of the wholly-owned operating company of Cogdell Spencer Inc. Learn more about Cogdell Spencer ERDMAN and its parent company Cogdell Spencer Inc. (NYSE:CSA) at cogdell.com .

About Focus on Energy

Focus on Energy works with eligible Wisconsin residents and businesses to install cost-effective energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. Focus information, resources, and financial incentives help to implement projects that otherwise would not be completed, or to complete projects sooner than scheduled. Its efforts help Wisconsin residents and businesses manage rising energy costs, promote in-state economic development, protect our environment, and control the state’s growing demand for electricity and natural gas. For more information, call 800.762.7077 or visit focusonenergy.com .