As responsible corporate citizens do we look for cheap, or sustainable, IT?

While releasing the “2009 EMC Sustainability Report”, Joe Tucci, Chairman and CEO of EMC, made a very responsible comment.  “We’re part of an interconnected world system. Our ability to prosper in the long run will depend upon the existence of a healthy physical environment, as well as an educated, inclusive and economically-vital society. We strive to make decisions and operate our business in a sustainable way—a commitment we sum up with the phrase: 'people, planet, prosperity',” he said.  For this cause, the company has established an office of sustainability headed by a Chief Sustainability Officer.

Don’t, for a second, think that I am praising one company, and discarding others. What I want to derive from here is the compelling idea of “Sustainable IT”. No matter how much we talk about sustainability, only a handful of companies place environment, society, or the planet, before business interests. Often, the decision to buy technology is dictated by low acquisition cost. The repercussions of buying unsustainable technology products are ignored.

I believe that the time for fundamental, systemic change is now. It’s about time we realise that environmental and social sustainability should be an essential part of every decision and action we take in our organisations. As bulk consumers of real estate, public utilities and technology, we have to either think of alternatives to attain sustainability, or take responsibility for contributing towards this massive ecological imbalance. We need to manage all our resources more intelligently, before it is too late.

Though clichéd, there are a few options which have gained prominence in the past couple of years. Majority of the companies are already moving from hardcore physical infrastructure and processes to more consolidated virtual processes. Among others, cloud technology–private and hybrid–is gaining acceptability and will possibly offer a viable option for sustainable IT. Again, I believe that it can do a lot to help preserve and restore our natural resources.

rahul.mani@9dot9.in