EDITOR ’ S QUESTION continued pressure for operators to be more efficient . This may well be partially driven by the customers who will be keen to align with suppliers that share their sustainability values .
However , given other pressures , will this focus continue unless there is a clear commercial benefit ? We think this is unlikely and have been working closely with our clients to deliver solutions that are both sustainable and cost-effective .
Budget pressures
cJON HEALY , OPERATIONS DIRECTOR AT KEYSOURCE
COVID and post-COVID
2021 is likely to still be dominated by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic , as well as the technology changes and challenges
it has inflicted upon businesses and its effect on people ’ s ability to work , their priorities and decision-making processes . It ’ s clear that the increased demand on the industry , in the short- and medium-term , will be exacerbated by existing ‘ pre- COVID ’ challenges such as skills shortages and issues with the speed of delivery . There will also be continued pressure to show resilience , secure operations and deliver rapid growth .
Sustainability
In this year ’ s Keysource State of the Industry Report , over three-quarters of respondents stated that sustainability will have a medium or high influence on IT decisions over the next 12 months . The requirement for sustainable solutions continues with the introduction of new legislation and regulation – with failure to report on energy and carbon resulting in significant fines and penalties .
This perhaps comes as no surprise . There is no doubt that energy and carbon are high on political agendas and that we are likely to see more policy measures , particularly if the UK is to reach our legally binding zero carbon target in the UK by 2050 . The European Commission , meanwhile , is rolling out a hugely ambitious package of environmental measures and data centres are firmly in the firing line ; the sector must be climateneutral by 2030 , for example .
The data centre sector accounts for between 1 – 2 % of all global electricity usage which means there is likely to be
For many , the virus has prompted the need to consider IT resilience , capacity and security in order to deal with demand and change to the working landscape . Given the economic downturn , the fact that less than half of respondents in the Keysource 2020 report are expecting a budget increase is perhaps inevitable . However , will delaying investment in technology-based projects hinder organisations ’ ability to rebuild and evolve to meet the requirements of the ‘ new normal ’? Will we see those who are prepared to keep investing , reap the rewards while others are left behind ? Should government identify IT investment as key to improving the economy and look to make funding more attractive ?
THE DATA CENTRE SECTOR ACCOUNTS FOR BETWEEN 1 – 2 % OF ALL GLOBAL ELECTRICITY USAGE WHICH MEANS THERE IS LIKELY TO BE CONTINUED PRESSURE FOR OPERATORS TO BE MORE EFFICIENT .
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