FOR BUSINESSES , THE CHALLENGE IS TO FIND WAYS IN WHICH TO ELIMINATE WASTE AND SAVE COSTS WHERE POSSIBLE . BUT CONSUMERS MUST DO THEIR PART TOO .
EDITOR ’ S QUESTION
o one is debating the value of data . The
N way we generate and consume data isn ’ t going to disappear , so for businesses , the challenge is to find ways in which to eliminate waste and save costs where possible . But consumers must do their part too .
One simple way to do this is by addressing our relationship with devices . Every email sent creates around 0.5g of carbon dioxide equivalent ( CO 2 e ). If you add a couple of attachments , that number can quickly increase to 10 – 20g CO 2 e . It ’ s the same for Facebook , Instagram , TikTok and for pretty much anything you interact with through your device of choice .
Every action in the digital world has an impact on the environment , the consequences of which are often out of sight and out of mind . Many will have seen footnotes in emails with reminders of the environmental consequences of printing them or their attachments but given the impact on the environment of sending an email , maybe it ’ s time to consider a digital detox .
Instead of sending an email with a big attachment to 200 people , just send it to the few people who actually need to see it . You ’ ll be doing everyone a favour and you ’ ll save a little bit of CO 2 e , too .
So what about businesses ? If they create and follow a data strategy built around data minimisation , they are only storing the data they need , while also being one step closer to meeting Environmental , Social Governance ( ESG ) targets .
FOR BUSINESSES , THE CHALLENGE IS TO FIND WAYS IN WHICH TO ELIMINATE WASTE AND SAVE COSTS WHERE POSSIBLE . BUT CONSUMERS MUST DO THEIR PART TOO .
According to the Data Waste Index report , which was released recently by NetApp , a worryingly high 41 % of data currently stored by UK organisations is unused or unwanted . This data will never be used again , often because companies haven ’ t worked out how to gain value from it , or simply because it ’ s just data that serves no further purpose beyond that for which it was created .
Clearly then , businesses need to know how much data they have , what the data is and where it is located . Visibility across your data landscape is essential whether on-premises , or in hybrid cloud and cloud environments . This requires effective data management software which can work across all data siloes in order to understand how much data they can reduce . From this action , businesses have the ability to remove data that is clearly unnecessary , inactive or duplicated .
In many cases storing data in the cloud for production , development , archive , or backup can improve the situation , and drawing on the expertise of vendors and partners who can offer the tools , analytics and understanding will help you to make better environmental decisions . With help , organisations and consumers alike can reduce both their energy cost exposures and their carbon emissions . �
MATT WATTS , CHIEF EVANGELIST , NETAPP
32 www . intelligentdatacentres . com