Reports and studies commissioned by leading digital energy transformation management and automation firm, Schneider Electric have revealed a disconnect between intent and action on sustainability in information technology and data centre operations globally.
The three studies, conducted separately by industry leading analysts at 451 Research (a part of S&P Global Market Intelligence), Forrester Consulting and Canalys, saw the collection of data from nearly 3,000 global participants, including the largest colocation and cloud providers, IT solution providers, and IT professionals across many segments and organisation sizes.
According to the 451 Research paper, enterprise organizations have a perception-versus-reality problem because their sustainability programs are perceived as being more advanced than they actually are because “the maturity evaluations of nearly half (48%) of respondents did not match a previous answer.”
The colocation-focused Forrester Consulting document discovered that while just 33% of respondents said their firms have developed a strategic sustainability plan, sustainability was listed as their organization’s number 2 business priority by 73% of respondents.
According to the Canalys report, So channel partners are making investments in sustainability strategies, but they are having trouble putting those investments into practice and don’t have a clear plan on how to do it. Only a third of partners have ESG goals despite 61% of partners having staff members specifically dedicated to sustainability.
Senior Vice President, Secure Power Division, International Operations for Schneider Electric, Natalya Makarochkina said in a statement obtained by Majorwaves, “The research clearly demonstrates that across the data center and IT industry, there is a sustainability action gap – the intention appears to be there, but action is lacking. Of course, IT professionals understand and have taken steps to address sustainability.
“But what we lack, with some exception, is comprehensive and supported sustainability action plans and measurable targets to create the change required to address the climate crisis. These three research papers have documented a sustainability action gap and that is our collective challenge to address,” she added.
