When you think of storage, do you think of sustainability?
Unfortunately for many IT leaders, the answer to this question is a disappointing “No.”
That’s the finding of a recent survey conducted by Pure Storage. The company polled 1,000 sustainability program managers in the U.S., U.K., France, and Germany about the importance of sustainability in their organization’s IT department.
The good news: The Pure Storage IT Sustainability Impact Survey 2022 found that 78% of survey respondents said their company’s leadership is prioritizing sustainability initiatives.
The not-so-good news: When asked which departments in their organization were not taking the steps needed to support their organization’s sustainability initiatives, 34% of respondents said IT is the least responsive department.
Data, Data Everywhere
It’s been said often that data is the new oil. Organizations depend on data like never before, and that data is stored in a growing multitude of data centers—whether their own on-site data center, in the cloud (either private or public) or in a hybrid environment.
By 2025, data centers are expected to consume more than 3% of the world’s electricity. And storage can be responsible for anywhere from 10% to 30% of a data center’s electricity consumption. Do the math and you’ll see data storage by itself consumes 1% of the planet’s annual electricity consumption.
Yet, nearly 6 in 10 sustainability program managers (59%) said IT infrastructure sustainability is likely to be overlooked during the vendor selection process, according to the Pure Storage survey. And almost two-thirds (64%) said they become involved in their organization’s IT strategy only after the technology purchasing process is already underway.
It’s clear that when it comes to storage and sustainability, many IT leaders need to make sustainability a priority.
One Sustainable Step at a Time
Of course, every IT leader, and their organization, is at a different stage in their sustainability journey. Here are some recommendations:
No need to reinvent the chessboard
Regardless of your industry, there are IT peers who have already made significant progress with their organization’s sustainability programs. As a result, there’s no need for you to (warning, here comes a chess metaphor) reinvent the chessboard. No doubt, many of your IT peers in the IT community would gladly share what they have learned about IT sustainability and help set you up for success.
There’s an app for that
At every stage of your sustainability journey, it’s vital to understand how your organization is doing. Sustainability management software can help.
Read, learn, and take action!
One valuable resource is Forrester’s “The State of IT Environmental Sustainability, 2023.” The annual report is a resource to help you benchmark your state of IT environmental sustainability, evaluate sustainability services providers, and make informed vendor procurement decisions.
Furthermore, the Storage Networking Industry Association provides standards and recommendations for sustainability vis-a-vis storage. A good place to start is its Green Storage Initiative, which is “dedicated to advancing energy efficiency and conservation in all networked storage technologies and minimizing the environmental impact of data storage operations.”
Be a smart buyer
Finally, when it comes to purchasing storage, focus on vendors that offer sustainable and energy-efficient products and services. Some types of storage solutions, like QLC flash, are more energy efficient. Ditto for newer servers and other IT infrastructure.
Be a team player
Finally, it’s best to approach sustainability as a team sport. Make sure sustainability program managers have a seat at the table before the technology-buying process has begun. Not only is this good for your organization and, ultimately, for your brand, but it also is a professional responsibility—Gartner recently anointed sustainable technology as one of the Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2023.
