FEATURE: SUSTAINABILITY
DRIVING A SUSTAINABLE IT STRATEGY GOES BEYOND JUST UPGRADING TO MORE EFFICIENT HARDWARE OR SIMPLY SWITCHING TO THE CLOUD TO REDUCE SCOPE 2 OUTPUTS.
strategy goes beyond just upgrading to more efficient hardware or simply switching to the cloud to reduce Scope 2 outputs. It requires a considered approach to evaluate how current technology is sourced, used and managed. In fact, McKinsey’ s Blueprint for CIOs to Combat Climate Change recommends that businesses can‘ capture significant carbon benefits without making a significant investment’.
There are practical initiatives CIOs can implement to accelerate their ESG aims. Here are six initial ideas:
1. Evaluate data centre credentials: Choosing where and how to host data is crucial. With enterprise IT set to account for an estimated 14 % of global emissions by 2040, moving to energyefficient and renewable energy-powered data centres is essential. Look for industry-leading power usage effectiveness( PUE) – the measure of how much energy powers servers versus how much is used for activities like cooling. The closer to 1, the more energy efficient.
2. Choose cloud providers wisely: Moving to the cloud is a more effective way to improve energy efficiency than upgrading on-premise infrastructure, but a word of warning – not all providers are equal in their sustainability efforts. Large hyperscalers have faced criticism for their environmental impact. In contrast, some smaller providers power data centres using 100 % renewable energy, plus offer energyefficient cloud solutions by harnessing techniques such as virtualisation, containerisation and machine learning.
3. Adopt Infrastructure-as-a-Service( IaaS): Rather than managing IT infrastructure across multiple locations, CIOs should consider shifting to a managed IaaS model. As well as boosting agility and right-sizing for business needs, this approach helps to reduce IT real estate,
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