Oct. 31, 2008 - IBM is set to launch a suite of software products that reduce the amount of information that must be stored on company servers. The company says the new offerings can slash energy use by up to 35%.

IBM s FileNet Business Process Manager is a content collection and archiving software platform that helps customers eliminate duplicate copies of records and reduces papers trails and content storage costs. The company says the system can help a company move toward a paperless environment by streamlining business processes and contribute to a company s reduction in paper consumption by 80-90%.

Also on deck to be released early next year is IBM s Lotus Notes 8.5 and Domino e-mail. In the new version, IBM is introducing an efficiency feature that ensures only one copy of a file attachment is kept on each mail server. Called, Domino Attachment Object Service, the feature helps companies eliminate the use of valuable hardware and software storage space for duplicate files. IBM expects the savings due to reduced storage requirements for both applications will be on average of 35% for each business. Lotus Notes 8.5 will also make it easier to find content stored on a Lotus Connections server so that the content does not need to be present in every mail file.

As businesses needs for more detailed energy measurement tools grows, IBM has combined its accounting software with energy management software to develop a solution that enables organizations to meter and charge back energy costs within their own enterprise. The tool allows a manufacturer to collect energy and power consumption data from across the organization and determine how energy is being consumed by individual, application, service, machine, or department. It also helps to identify and analyze the top energy users, wasters and use trends.

"Rising energy costs, regulatory mandates, the exponential growth of information, and data center capacity shortages are driving organizations to consider more power-efficient ways of doing business," the company said in a recent statement. "With the launch of its new products and services, IBM is expanding its global effort to help customers take action on energy, the environment, and sustainability."

IBM launched its Project Big Green in May 2007 with the aim of helping clients reduce cost and environmental impact from their IT operations via greener products and services.