Earth Day 2013: Userful Marks Ten Years of Lowering the Environmental Impact of Computing

To celebrate Earth Day, Userful Corporation, the global leader in zero client cloud and virtual desktop solutions, today announces the impact that over ten years of promoting a sustainable computing model has had. Over the years, Userful has been promoting significant cost and environmental savings to schools, businesses, and other organizations through the implementation of virtualized desktops and multiseat computing. Userful's green computing solution not only reduces environmental impact, it lowers costs for customers, enabling more affordable access to public computing all over the world.*

Since 2002, Userful has saved its customers 779,853,322 kWh of electricity, and prevented 604,386 tonnes of CO2 from being put into the air. That's equal to taking 104,565 cars off the road or planting 149,972 acres of trees - a land area 50% the size of New York City, 75% of London, or 100% of Tokyo or Mumbai.

Userful's latest offering, Userful Multiplatform, is a simple and cost-effective solution for deploying cloud browser, Windows, and Linux desktops using compact, low-power zero-client devices. Allowing one host PC or server to serve 20 or more workstations drastically reduces the amount of hardware necessary for each station and lowers infrastructure costs significantly. It also lowers energy costs by 60% - enough to cover the cost of the hardware within 3 years.

The Userful solution reduces the amount of e-waste. Replace one PC or server for every 20 workstations every 3-5 years, rather than upgrading a computer 1:1. Zero clients have a long shelf life -- up to 10 years. They require only 3 watts of power, and generate far less heat and noise than a comparable desktop PC. Less than half the cost of conventional thin clients, the zero client devices powered by Userful Multiplatform offer an exceptional user experience, including flawless playback of 20 or more simultaneous HD video streams from a single standard PC or server. Organizations can save further on software licensing by deploying cloud desktops for users who are primarily using web applications, or Linux desktops for open source applications.

"Over the years, we've seen the difference Userful can make in even the most remote communities, when a child can get access to the whole world through their computer, and that the solution is a part of a long term, sustainable model of computing," says Timothy Griffin, CTO and Founder of Userful, "It is satisfying to see our company's success over the last ten years reflecting positive contributions in the world, especially for two of our most important resources - children and our environment."

Schools, businesses and other organizations can enjoy significant cost savings and know that they are reducing the environmental impact of computing, while reaping the benefits of a high performance, flexible, and customizable solution. Userful software supports zero clients from manufacturers such as HP, ViewSonic, LG, Acer, and Atrust. Anyone can download the install DVD of Userful Multiplatform to experience first hand the high performance and ease of use of the solution. For more information visit http://www.userful.com/products/userful-multiplatform