IT sustainability at a crossroads

Climate change is the existential threat of our time, and businesses are under increasing pressure to minimize their environmental impact. 

Information technology (IT) is a double-edged sword in this fight. While IT empowers businesses to operate more efficiently and sustainably, IT energy consumption and related carbon footprint mean it is not impact-free. 

Generative AI is a game changer for more sustainable IT. How it changes the game, though, is up to every organization that uses it.
 

Holistic approach to more sustainable IT fares best

The good news: generative AI can help solve the very problem it may contribute to over time. It is creating new opportunities to transform IT and make it more sustainable.

Organizations are at different maturity levels not only in terms of making their IT greener overall, but also using AI to make their technology operations more sustainable and environmentally friendly.

Gen AI for greener IT operations: Organizations vary widely in their adoption

Beyond gen AI: Where do more mature organizations stand out in sustainable IT? 

Making IT more sustainable by design 

Mature organizations differentiate themselves by integrating sustainability assessments during the design and planning stages of IT projects. This proactive approach, adopted by only 23% of organizations, ensures that environmental considerations are embedded into the very fabric of IT systems. More than half (52%) of those who do report taking this approach had a significant positive impact on the overall sustainability of their IT operations, making it the most effective sustainability-related practice applied in IT application development and maintenance operations. 

Optimizing cloud and automation 

A quarter of businesses are already leveraging hybrid cloud solutions to significantly boost the sustainability and energy efficiency of their IT operations. Nearly half (46%) report a substantial positive impact on their overall IT sustainability. 

Mature organizations, however, also are harnessing automation to dynamically adjust IT environments based on demand. Many organizations overprovision how much compute power is at the ready. They can reduce excess standby processing power through greater optimization and demand management, which should lower energy usage significantly without compromising performance (while also freeing up high-demand processing power for other purposes). 

A greener future for IT operations 

By adopting a holistic approach, businesses can navigate the more sustainable IT crossroads and emerge as leaders in a sustainable future. The need will only become more pressing as enterprises seek to transform themselves with the power of generative AI. 

To learn more about the different ways organizations are heading toward more environmentally responsible technology, and to learn how different industries and leaders are handling the decision points, download the report. We detail how a bank and a fast-moving consumer goods company—two very different organizations—are moving to more sustainable IT by design.