CIO OPINION
Learning from COVID-19
Since the start of the pandemic – and the government order to work from home where possible – businesses across every sector have been disrupted . There ’ s been a digital revolution and transformation of IT processes and infrastructure at an unprecedented scale and almost unimaginable speed to counter that disruption . Without it , businesses and – more widely – the global economy wouldn ’ t have survived to the extent that they have .
The pandemic has led to a surge in Internet traffic and skyrocketing data consumption . This is because organisations have had to pivot rapidly to remote work models . It ’ s also because although the government is continuing to relax most social restrictions , many people are still spending much more time at home – whether that ’ s working from home or dedicating hours to watching the latest Netflix hit show .
This upward trend in data consumption is unlikely to change even when COVID restrictions finally lift . One reason is that we ’ ve started to see big businesses like SAP and NatWest Bank championing hybrid working models . This means that , long-term , more people will be at home for more of the day . NatWest , for example , claims that only 13 % of its staff will return to pre-pandemic office work . Unfortunately , this continuing boost in Internet traffic and the resulting spike in produced data is not positive news for the environment . Data needs power and energy to store it , maintain it and protect it – and most of that energy still comes off the back of fossil fuel consumption .
Becoming more environmentally responsible with data is reasonably straightforward for consumers . We can research companies to understand if ( or how ) their business practices aim to reduce their carbon footprint – or even make an everyday choice such as SD over HD when streaming TV or downloading music .
However , it ’ s not quite so clear how businesses can reduce the environmental impact of data . Microsoft , Facebook and Google – some of the world ’ s biggest data silos – have committed to becoming 100 % renewable through the RD100 scheme , but there ’ s a lot more that needs to be done .
Don ’ t let ROT set in
Data is everywhere . Businesses of every size and sector use it to drive forward , improve efficiency and increase profits . Because of this , it ’ s key to raise
Here , more than anywhere , there ’ s the potential to rollout new and innovative solutions that could help solve ( or at least mitigate the effects of ) the climate crisis .
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