Here are some strategies and justifications for laggard operators to step up their game and remain relevant, competitive and environmentally responsible.
The United Nations’ latest Emissions Gap Report cautions that, even if conditional Nationally Determined Contributions made under the Paris Agreement are fully met, the world is still facing around 2.5 degrees (Celcius) of warming by the end of this century.
The data center industry, in particular, must urgently act to optimize their energy use. In fact, the industry as a whole is responsible for 1–2% of global energy use. Yet, by many accounts, only a portion of the industry is only just starting its collective sustainability journey.
Nevertheless, there is a potential way forward. Through the development of a thoughtful action plan grounded in a comprehensive measurement framework and leveraging contemporary technology, the data center industry can find avenues to achieve sustainability compliance and turn them into a competitive advantage.
Taking the first step
Data center owners and operators that wish to turn sustainability into a competitive advantage should consider energy use as one part of a larger, holistic sustainability plan.
Understanding a data center’s impact on the environment requires measuring greenhouse gas emissions, water use, waste production and impact on the land and biodiversity, in addition to energy consumption. By adopting standardized metrics within those sustainability categories, data center owners and operators will gain a more thorough view of how their entire value chain impacts the environment.
With metrics in place, organizations can create action plans designed to mitigate the environmental impact of these areas. This will help them reduce their the negative environmental impact and achieve operational efficiency. The next step is key…
Using a DCIM platform
Each data center is but one part of a sprawling hybrid IT infrastructure that spans edge deployments and smaller regional data centers. Any failure at the data center level can cascade to impact the entire IT ecosystem.
Limiting failure requires carefully monitoring and measuring the performance of various support systems, such as cooling and energy generation.
The only way to corral the complexity of a data center deployment and realize operational efficiencies is through a software management system that measures the output and performance of every piece of infrastructure supporting the IT — including the impact on environmental sustainability.
For example, data center infrastructure management (DCIM) platforms allow operators to monitor, manage, plan and model physical IT infrastructure, even when that infrastructure comprises thousands of devices spread across many sites around the globe.
Such software solutions help simplify management of complex hybrid IT architectures, take in and analyze data in real time, providing insight into everything from device health to environmental impact — to yield a truly holistic view of data center operations.
Thoughtful resource stewardship required
Using software to develop and maintain a sustainability action plan does more than increase sustainability efforts. Efficient operations increase agility and fuel innovation. In achieving these cumulative benefits, data center operators not only reduce their environmental footprint but also enhance their operational resilience and cost-effectiveness.
As regulations continue to tighten, data centers that are committed to thoughtful science-based resource management are likely to attract like-minded partners, build on positive public perceptions, and ultimately position themselves as leaders in environmentally conscious markets.
Data center operators should therefore capitalize on this opportunity to be responsible resource stewards: through careful planning and tracking.
