Unintended consequences ...

The network systems administrator at the Higley (Arizona) Unified School District's technology department was recently fired for installing the SETI@home software, a scientific experiment that uses Internet-connected computers in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). The SETI@home software downloads and analyzes radio telescope data from the SETI Institute.  The school district contends the software was installed on over 5,000 computers and over an almost ten year period cost the district over $1 million in utility costs and associated hardware replacement costs.   READ MORE

There are a growing number of public, distributed processing software programs like SETI@home.  You might want to check your system to see if it is being impacted.

SETI

SETI@home