How to unite IT and sustainable objectives

[msttasnuvanava]

Sustainability and circularity are no longer a “nice to have” but the very foundation of business operations. Dell Technologies recognizes the importance of sustainable practices and scrutinizes every aspect of its business to achieve greater ecological efficiency. We also help our customers achieve their sustainability goals.

In this edition of our Visionary Viewpoints series, Gina Cano, Senior Director, Strategic Business Development-ESG/Sustainability Strategy & Governance, and Erica Lambert, Senior Vice President, Global Channel, Alliances, and OEM Services Sales at Dell Technologies, discuss the landscape. Cano and Lambert sat down with Silvia de la Cagiga and Quinten Ockers, Service Account Managers at Dell Technologies, to discuss why sustainability is a must.

Silvia de la Cagiga: What do you think about sustainability in technology?

Gina Cano: Sustainability is multifaceted and increasingly critical; it is no longer a “nice-to-have” but a “must-have.” This is especially true when we assess the impact of energy efficiency and renewables in data centers. Green computing also takes into account digital inclusion and ethical considerations.

Another factor is the huge environmental impact of e-waste. We need to be smart how to get turkey number for whatsapp about how we manage e-waste, which leads to sustainable supply chains. In addition, the global increase in rules and regulations is something that companies like ours need to take into account.

Quinten Ockers: With this in mind, what are the aspects we consider when helping organizations with sustainable technology and infrastructure?


Erica Lambert : Companies are realizing that they need to make sustainability a priority in order to be viable and meet the needs of their customers, employees, as well as key stakeholders and shareholders.

Regulation is one part of it, but trust and brand recognition are also critical. Our customers are trying to meet the needs of their business and their customers for the long term. And they look to partners like Dell to help them with green data centers and help them achieve the carbon neutrality goals they are setting.

De la Cagiga: What are the obstacles that prevent organizations from implementing sustainable systems, technologies and infrastructures?

Cano : Lack of awareness and experience are the biggest obstacles. There is a tendency to think that if we put it on the back burner it will go away. That is not the case. There are also costs associated with sustainability. Sometimes there is a short-term focus on quarterly profits that can overshadow the long-term benefits of sustainability. The regulatory side can be confusing, and it can be difficult to translate a requirement into a data center.

Lambert : I agree. As a business leader, I struggle with what to prioritize. Of all the things we can do, which ones will have the biggest impact on the sustainability of the business and will be compliant? Are we making the right decisions with limited resources and time?

Ockers: What do organizations risk if they ignore sustainability in their practices?

Lambert : There will come a time when they will have to pay, either through taxes or fees. Or they may simply not be able to operate in a given market because they are not compliant.

Customers are making sustainability a priority and incorporating sustainability-related expectations into their purchasing decisions. Boards of directors are also moving toward sustainability as a priority and creating teams and governance around sustainability advancements.

De la Cagiga : So how can we balance innovation with our customers’ sustainability goals?

Lambert : That's what we're looking at as a whole, from the corporate level to the services and solutions in our portfolio.


You can start by designing sustainable products – that is, equipment that is more energy efficient, durable, easy to repair and upgrade. This will help us help our customers reuse and recycle materials and get the most out of the life of their equipment.

We can advise customers on how to use more renewable energy in data centers. We are very familiar with recycling e-waste and we want to expand the program and help customers achieve greater circularity in operations. Gina mentioned our asset recovery services. We can take not only Dell products, but any technology that customers have in their data centers and ensure clean and sustainable disposal. We focus not only on providing the best service to our customers, but on how to reduce environmental impact and how to be sustainable and how to use resources.

Perhaps the easiest way to balance innovation with sustainable goals is to be more transparent and share innovative approaches. At Dell, we view services as a lifecycle. We have services to help you get the most out of your technology at every stage of the product lifecycle, from installing it in the data center to renewing the infrastructure.