As the blog heading reads, the solution is intended for SOHO (Small Office and Home) Segment. I personally believe that in offices wherever Desktops/ Laptops are in use considerable power saving can be done by starting or shutting down computers automatically.
Lets understand in brief the factors that how can remotely booting and shutting down PC / Laptop can be useful for SOHO/SME segment and the application scenarios:
1. Power Saving
Often employees and sometimes as owners also we tend to forget shutting down our PCs or just let them keep switched on so we don't have to boot them all over again the next morning and waste our precious time (!).
General Laptops consume about 60-80 Watts while desktops may consume anywhere between 150-250 Watts. Some older models may consume even more! If the employees or even the third party computer maintenance guys across the road are made aware of the considerable energy savings this can result in, there will be enough motivation to implement this solution
2. Security
Sometimes in a rush we just forget to switch off our PCs. Although most latest models ask for a password when we login or wake up the computer, sometimes these settings are disabled. A fool proof method would be to auto shutdown the computer at a specified time in case we fail / forget to do it manually. Same is applicable for PCs/Desktops for employees which are more prone to mis-use and data leak.
3. Scheduling Weekly Backups on Holidays or Odd Hours
Another application could be scheduling weekly backups for critical data to be backed up on USB or NAS drives. Sometimes if the backup size is huge it slows down the computer and the network. In such cases backup needs to be done on holidays or on odd hours at night. In such cases PCs can be left on so that the backup scripts run and after successful completion shuts down the computer. But if you are crazy enough to save every bit of energy and move towards a greener tomorrow (I am!), you can use the facility of WoL (Wake on LAN). Although a dated technology on Desktop / Laptop motherboards, I find it highly underutilized in small office setups. With Wi-Fi networks ubiquitous, even android or iOS phones can boot PCs/Laptops remotely with a click of a button using freely available apps.
In my next post we will discuss the deployment and tools/ apps / open source software available to achieve the above.
In case you are also booting and shutting down your PC automatically and want to share its advantages and experience, do post a line of comment below!
For professional services, implementation and training in technology areas the author can be contacted at akbar at octavesbm dot in