THE GREEN TECH REVOLUTION

Why Sustainable It Is A Top Business Priority

The push for environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives is a top priority for organisations in the Middle East, which arrans more efficient uses of technology. Sustainable IT is a broader term that encompasses a simple concept – technology that can be designed, used and disposed of in an environment friendly manner. Implementing sustainable IT practices has become mandatory for many industries because of government regulations and virtually every aspect of IT can come under the sustainability umbrella.

Why is sustainable IT so important now?

There is a growing concern for the environment as the technology sector is one of the largest consumers of energy and producers of greenhouse gases. Using environmentally responsible methods in IT helps to reduce the sector’s overall carbon footprint, says

The world’s resources, such as minerals and metals, are dwindling, and their extraction and processing can have harmful effects on the environment. Sustainable IT aids in cutting down on both waste and resource consumption.

Organisations can save money, become more efficient, and remain competitive all thanks to the implementation of sustainable IT. Organisations can lessen their energy bills by decreasing their energy consumption, and they can lessen their waste loads by doing the same, says.

IDC’s Sustainability Survey — conducted in December 2022 across 176 organisations throughout the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa (META) — found that supply chain alignment and IT efficiency are now key areas of focus for organisations across the region. This highlights the importance of IT as a part of the overall sustainability strategies being employed by organisations in the region.

“IT departments should be placed at the center of organisations’ sustainability initiatives. There are two reasons for this. First, IT has an important role to play in driving digital transformation (DX) strategies that incorporate sustainability as an integral part of the associated initiatives. An IT unit that factors in the sustainability requirements of the wider organisation can deliver greater value to all lines of business,” says Melih Murat, Associate Research Director, ICT Services & Software (META), IDC.

For example, a supply chain solution with sustainability-related functionalities that run on cloudnative architecture will increase a business’s transparency and control across its suppliers, helping it to ensure that those suppliers comply with its sustainability requirements. Second, according to the International Energy Agency, datacenters are responsible for around 1% of the world’s energyrelated greenhouse gas emissions. As such, one of the most important responsibilities of an IT department is to drive energy efficiency across the organisation’s IT assets. At the same time, there are many other sustainability initiatives being driven by IT, he adds.

Dr. Prashant Mapru, VP - R&D, Bayanat, says as most industries work towards reducing their environmental impact, the conversation around Sustainable IT has gained momentum. In this context, geospatial technology plays a critical role in managing and analysing data related to land use, natural resources, climate change, and urbanisation, making it crucial for promoting sustainable development.

“Specific to Bayanat, our domain of geospatial technology demands largescale computing requirements. The demand for computing and storage is growing exponentially, along with the need to be responsible and efficient in the use of resources. In the face of the current global environmental and social challenges, careful implementation of technology solutions is the need of the hour,” he says.

Omar Akar, Regional Vice President for Middle East & Emerging Africa, Pure Storage, says it’s important to note that technology does have the capability to help us to live more sustainably as we use IT to work, stay connected, and enjoy ourselves, all with less travel and fewer materials consumed. In order to do that, IT leaders need to examine their entire tech stack to ensure solutions are as green as possible. If this is incorporated into IT agendas, there is a remarkable opportunity to positively contribute to energy reduction, shape a greener future and set precedents that define our world for decades to come.

The benefits and challenges of sustainable IT

The replacement of expensive, energyintensive equipment every decade or so has a significant impact on the environment.

“Opting for remanufactured, refurbished, or used equipment and parts is not only less expensive than purchasing new products, but can also cause fewer emissions. Companies can leverage tech-powered solutions such as cloud migration and IT asset management, along with energy efficiency measures such as low-power mode, power-saving features, and virtualisation to meet sustainability KPIs and positively impact their bottom line,” says Saleem AlBlooshi, Chief Technology Officer, du du has carried out multiple equipment recycling and donation initiatives to curb waste. In addition, du’s data centres are carrier-neutral and fitted with the latest power and cooling management technologies enabling best in class efficiencies. At the same time, du has raised the whitespace temperature to 26 degrees Celsius and utilises LED and solar-powered lights as part of its sustainability and energy-efficiency efforts.

From the perspective of a business, implementing sustainable IT practices can result in a number of benefits, including a reduction in energy consumption and costs, an improvement in brand reputation and customer loyalty, and an increase in regulatory compliance. Companies that implement sustainable IT practices can drive innovation and stay ahead of the competition by developing environmentally friendly new technologies and solutions.

“However, businesses may face obstacles in implementing sustainable IT practices, such as initial costs, employee resistance to change, and the need for specialised knowledge. Companies can engage in planning and analysis to determine the most effective and cost-effective sustainable IT practices to implement in order to overcome these obstacles,” says Shaikh from Heriot-Watt.

He adds in general, businesses stand to gain a great deal from implementing sustainable IT practices. Companies can promote environmental sustainability, improve their bottom line, and stay ahead of the competition by reducing energy consumption and costs, enhancing brand reputation, and improving regulatory compliance.

Mapru from Bayanat says the benefits of sustainable IT include reduced costs, improved resource efficiency, better decision-making, and enhanced stakeholder trust and confidence. However, this is coupled with the need for significant investments, dealing with technological constraints, the rules and regulations around data privacy and security, and the process of integrating sustainable practices into existing systems and work streams.

Murat from IDC says 38% of the organisations surveyed by IDC in the META region identified datarelated challenges as a significant sustainability-related issue. A modern IT infrastructure lays the foundation for a robust data-driven monitoring, reporting, and prediction mechanism tied to sustainability goals, such as gaining a competitive advantage, driving efficiencies and cost savings, and mitigating any negative impacts on society and the environment.

It is important for organisations to ensure that data that comes from different sources is managed and integrated properly and that the quality is of a sufficient level for building highquality sustainability use cases. It is also important to integrate internal IT systems with external data exchanges for driving sustainability initiatives, as organisational sustainability initiatives will not succeed in isolation.

Another important challenge identified by 41% of the surveyed organisations is the lack of sustainability-related IT tools and talent in the region. It is important for organisations to work with trusted technology solution providers to prioritise sustainability-related investment areas as part of their DX strategies and identify the IT tools they need to accelerate the sustainability journey.

But the top sustainability-related challenges relate to complexity and leadership commitment, as highlighted by 47% of the surveyed organisations. Sustainability is a multidisciplinary and complex topic, which can be challenging to understand and implement in practice.

“And once an organisation lacks leadership support and commitment, sustainability initiatives will not deliver the expected business outcomes. It is important for organisations to assign a chief sustainability officer or another senior executive who is not only well versed in the organisation’s operations, but also has an understanding of the technological and scientific aspects around sustainability,” Murat concludes.