Intelligent CIO Europe Issue 63 | Page 39

TALKING

‘‘ business

Businesses in 2023 are becoming more sustainable and managing their decarbonisation efforts to reach net zero , beyond shifting workloads and data to the cloud .

Technology is playing a critical role in helping organisations make strides towards net zero , with 58 % of organisations that digitise their operations reporting more success in green initiatives . While businesses are increasingly moving their data to the cloud in order to reduce energy consumption , this is only a first step towards achieving sustainability goals . Taking responsibility and adopting sustainable practices is key in order for progress to be made and real changes in the environment to take effect . The first step of transferring data to the cloud should act as a catalyst for future transformation and longterm responsibility .
In light of global climate change , it ’ s essential for businesses to understand some of the common sustainability initiatives they can take . Here are three below . equipment ensures that valuable raw materials are reused instead of thrown away .
There are many ways to recycle IT equipment . One option is to sell it to a certified e-waste recycling company . These companies will disassemble the equipment and recycle the valuable raw materials . Another option is to donate the equipment to educational institutions or non-profit organisations . These organisations can use the equipment for their own purposes or they can resell it to raise funds .
Guy Long , Senior Cloud Advisor at Cloudreach
1 . Taking a comprehensive view of your IT / digital function
As businesses face increased pressure to run their operations sustainably , IT and digital functions remain a major focus . Assessing the sustainability impact of these functions involves looking at energy use , emissions , water use , waste and resource consumption . By having a comprehensive overview and understanding of this information , organisations can make more informed decisions about where they might find potential sustainability gains .
Organisations have several strategies available to them when it comes to making their IT and digital more sustainable , such as implementing energy efficient technologies , engaging employees in sustainability initiatives and shifting to sustainable procurement practices . These are some of the functions that have a big impact on organisations ’ sustainability efforts .
Before recycling IT equipment , it is important to remove all data from the devices . This can be done by physically destroying the data storage .
3 . Joining forces to achieve the same goals
As businesses increasingly look for ways to reduce their environmental impact , they should turn to their suppliers to help them achieve their sustainability goals . One of the ways businesses can work with their suppliers to reduce their environmental impact is by moving workloads to renewable power sources .
In addition to working with suppliers to move to renewable power sources , businesses should also seek out tech partners that put forward innovative solutions which will help drive sustainable change . By partnering with companies that are developing new technologies to
In an increasingly eco-conscious world , sustainability should be prioritised across IT and digital functions .
2 . Recycling old IT equipment
Recycling IT equipment has several benefits for a company . Most notably , decommissioned electronics do not wind up in landfills . Recycling unused IT
The first step of transferring data to the cloud should act as a catalyst for future transformation and long-term responsibility .
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