Amid growing technological change, sustainability has become a key concept of information technology (IT) strategies for the future. The two elements of the environment have now become working hand in hand as they determine how organisations function and expand. Businesses are realising that the inclusion of sustainability solutions into organisational IT architectures has both positive environmental impacts across the globe and economic benefits of cost reduction and protection from interruptions.
Sustainability is no longer a ‘nice-to-have’—it’s a strategic imperative, IT leaders must pivot from traditional practises and focus on building IT systems that are energy-efficient, scalable, and aligned with organisational sustainability goals.
The IT sector is now considered one of the largest energy consumers globally, and data centres bear more than a third of the total consumption. Second, on the use aspect, the new challenge surfaces-electronic waste, where millions of tons of old or dysfunctional devices are dumped yearly. To overcome these tasks, there is a need for a transition to renewable energy sources, environmentally sound hardware acquisition, and applied circular economy concepts.
Some essence plans to ingrain sustainability into IT operations are as follows:-
1. Cloud adoption and optimisation – Transferring workloads to the cloud can significantly help decrease energy use compared with that of an organisation’s own data centre. However, organisations need to go a step further than that. Cloud is no longer a hype, it is about cloud strategy, it is not how we go cloud it is how we get more out of cloud. Take advantage of the AI innovative technologies for managing cloud wastage—idle instances, unnecessary resources, or unproductive storage.
2. Green data centres – There is a trend observed that focuses on the sustainability of modern data centres. How it is possible to implement effective cooling in data centres, source power from renewable sources, and efficiently use mechanical infrastructure such as virtualisation where it is possible to package many servers into one system.
3. Sustainable software development – Agile and lean approaches emphasise incremental development, utilising green coding practises, waste minimisation, user feedback, and fostering a culture of sustainability with in the team, makes them ideal for sustainable software development. Kanban boards, reviews, and user stories are examples of Agile and Lean methods for tracking and improving product quality and functionality.
4. Circular economy for IT equipment – To reduce the level of e-waste organisations should promote recycling and reusing of IT assets and where possibly refurbishing them. Other significant factors include partnerships with vendors who either take back products in exchange for credit or who accept returns of products in exchange for different or upgraded products.
5. Sustainable procurement – The organisation’s procurement policies need to include protective policies that encourage vendors to reduce their carbon footprint. Even as simple as how to source laptops that are environmentally friendly or select a cloud services provider that uses renewable energy resources can go a long way in contributing to the environmental responsibility of any firm.
Some sustainability steps which often result in substantial business advantages:-
1. Cost efficiency – When energy consumption is reduced, then savings to operations costs are achieved while on the other hand; expenses on the cloud are also cut to the bare minimum.
2. Regulatory compliance – Almost every government is tightening the measures to restrain energy consumption and pollutant release. A sustainable IT strategy promotes compliance and saves from fines.
3. Brand value and customer trust – The buyers and customers today tend to go for a company that displays a responsible approach towards the ecology. It is pertinent to mention that a sustainable IT framework can drive value in brand building and customer captivity.
4. Talent retention – Employees in the youth generation have become conscious about the sustainable work environment. Companies that adhere to green IT standards can normally have an easier job of locating the most competent people to work for them.
Obviously, there are many advantages to implementing sustainable IT practises, but, as is always the case with such initiatives, it is not without its difficulties. I emphasise that change management and stakeholder engagement are critical. The latter needs to explain and demonstrate the vision of the definitive gains sustainable practises can deliver for an IT Function.
Moreover, changing to sustainable IT can still be capital-intensive at the initial stages. Starting points include for example virtualisation of servers, new energy-efficient hardware, and gradually increasing demands over time.
In the era when we can expect further advancement in technology, people will continue to look more at sustainability when determining success. I urge CIOs and IT leaders to be proactive. It is clear what the future looks like for organisations – the future belongs to those who know how to predict and change. When sustainability becomes part of the fundamental fabric of IT operations, firms can foster change and growth while meeting more sustainable obligations to society.
The idea of making a technology plan for sustainable borders is not just about willingness to tackle current issues but be ready for the next set of opportunities. These practises will help create healthy IT environments that will ensure that the organisation will continue to run efficiently for many years to come.
This article is authored by Kabaleeswaran Sabapathi, managing enterprise architect, Capgemini.
