OpenSure now runs on fresh air, fresh water and bright sunshine!

Until recently the best OpenSure could do with its green power credentials was to use data centres with some off-setting to counter the considerable emissions older, power hungry data-centres produce.

Next generation data centres are now designed with lots of passive and active elements to significantly reduce their power consumption. Having moved to our new data centre, this works to such an extent, that even with the cost premium renewable energy demands, we can now provide services at a comparable cost to those of our less green competitors.

Our green, ethical approach to business is what guides us in how to meet the challenges in the economy, technology and service. It is why we do things the way we do and why we keep on doing it and trying to do it better. Here’s our take (and by the way our Environmental Policy PDF can be downloaded here OpenSureEnvironmentalPolicy):

The Green Bit

It’s important to OpenSure to make a positive difference in every way that we can. This takes many forms but our ethos, Open Source software, working practices and renewables-powered data centre are good places to start.

Our ethos

OpenSure believes in fair, honest and transparent business dealings. We’re open and clear about the services that we provide and how much it will cost. There are no hidden charges, no freemium plans and no nasty surprises. We strive for an ethical approach in everything that we do and are always looking for the best result for our clients. In our world, no client is too small for top-notch customer service. For our employees we offer a family-friendly and flexible working structure, while ensuring systems are actively monitored every minute of every day. While we love to work with local businesses as much as we can, we hope we have no prejudices when it comes to choosing our employees, business partners and suppliers.

Open Source software

This is the biggy. Everything that OpenSure does runs on Open Source software. There’s a lot written about the whys and wherefores of open source on our blog, but essentially we believe it offers high quality, business-grade software with strong support and infinite compatibility and freedom.

Working practices

We have organised our working set-up to require as little travel as possible and actively encourage working from home. The vast majority of the services we use on a daily basis are accessed remotely, so we have no need for energy-hungry hardware monsters in the office – a mobile, a netbook or a few PCs are enough for our local admin needs. We rarely print anything, we’re careful to switch off equipment when it’s not going to be needed and yes, it’s Fair Trade coffee in the kitchen and locally made cake in the tin.

Green web hosting

We’re proud to use a UK data centre powered by renewable energy. Our data centre conforms to a variety of recognized standards and for those that like to know more detail here it is:

A PUE of <1.6, Free-cooling features, hot and cold aisle layouts and design and build to L.E.E.D standards.

In addition we have gone as far as we possibly can to use our racks efficiently so that we are responsible for as little energy-use as possible, while maintaining the quality of service our clients have come to expect.