Called EnergyWise, the software was developed under the code-name .

EnergyWise is designed to proactively measure, report and reduce the energy consumption of IP devices such as phones, laptops and access points. The software includes application programming interfaces to Cisco third-party partner packages that will enable the management of power consumption for entire building systems, such as lights, elevators and air conditioning/heating, Cisco says.

"By attaching more things to the network it allows you to make better decisions around energy," says Zeus Kerravala, an analyst with The Yankee Group. "This can be extended to security as well -- you can turn cameras on in certain areas. So there's a lot of benefits for it."

Cisco EnergyWise will roll out in three phases. In the first phase, it will be supported on Catalyst switches and manage the energy consumption of networked IP devices such as phones, video surveillance cameras and wireless access points.

In the next phase, there will be expanded industry support of EnergyWise on IT devices such as personal computers, laptops and printers. In the final phase, Cisco EnergyWise will be extended to management of building system assets such as heating, ventilation and air conditioning, elevators, lights, employee badge access systems, fire alarm systems and security systems.