Sustainability challenges are a threat to businesses, says survey
DATA-centre provider Equinix has revealed survey findings which show that sustainability challenges are a threat to Irish businesses, according to half of Irish IT leaders.
The survey also reveals that 63 per cent of IT leaders in Ireland have made reducing their environmental impact a priority for their technology strategy, backed up by the fact that over half will only work with IT partners who can meet key carbon reduction targets.
Equinix has four data centres operating in West Dublin, including Citywest, and over the last three years it has managed to reduce its Irish data centre carbon emissions by 16 per cent.
The research, carried out for the Equinix 2022 Global Tech Trends Survey, included 2,900 IT decision-makers globally, of which 100 were based in Ireland.
The survey also lifts the lid on the crucial role that data centres – the home of the cloud – are playing in helping tech decision-makers in Ireland to reduce the environmental impact of their IT infrastructure.
It found that 56 per cent of businesses in Ireland have plans in place to manage the environmental impact of their growing data usage and some 68 per cent of IT decision-makers say that their data centre is helping them to achieve this.
Furthermore, 74 per cent of businesses in Ireland believe that the cloud is an essential element in reducing their company’s carbon footprint.
The research found that almost all businesses in Ireland (92 per cent) are now utilising the cloud, while 58 per cent are moving more functions to the cloud this year.
Judith Gardiner, Vice President, Growth and Emerging Markets, Equinix, said: “With the increased use of data and technology comes a responsibility on all of us to not only find a sustainable way to manage this increase, but to pro-actively reduce the environmental impact of our entire digital footprint.
“No medium or large-sized organisation can achieve climate neutrality by themselves. They are relying on their partners, like Equinix, who share the same values and can help them to pursue a green agenda. The majority of businesses now realise that the greater efficiency gained from moving functions off-premise and to the cloud can significantly reduce their carbon footprint.”
