Sustainable IT Services: Five Steps to Business Success

Out of any business function, IT teams play one of the most critical roles in executing enterprise sustainability initiatives. They can establish the frameworks and toolsets necessary for internal teams to design new operating models to meet their team’s and the organization’s sustainability goals.

At Cognizant, our IT team has developed and is executing on our IT sustainability framework, which has been validated by the Science Based Target Initiative (SBTi), a global corporate climate action organization. As a result, our organization is on track to source 100% renewable electricity for our facilities by 2026 and achieve a reduction of 90% in global emissions by 2040.

From our experience, an IT sustainability framework provides an action plan for IT teams to help their organizations achieve their net-zero goals. And to do that successfully, a framework must incorporate the following five elements:

1. Energy usage
2. Renewable energy sources
3. Supply chain
4. Travel reduction
5. Culture and training

Here's a closer look at each element.

1.    Look for low-cost ways to reduce energy usage

A common misconception when building a new sustainability initiative is that it requires a big investment in new technologies. Instead, the opposite is true: IT teams can make great strides by evaluating their current energy consumption and discovering opportunities for reducing usage.

At Cognizant, the following actions have helped us reduce the emissions associated with IT infrastructure by 60% since 2019:

• Shift our focus from on-site data centers to the cloud. 80% of our software applications now reside in the cloud. As a result, we’ve reduced our digital footprint by 17% and increased power usage efficiency by 9%.
• Encourage the use of virtual collaboration tools. Using cloud-based conferencing and messaging platforms as our associates' primary method of communication, we’ve reduced in-person meetings and travel. We estimate that our associates have devoted nearly 400 hours per associate to virtual conversations since mid-2019.
• Eliminate waste in end-user computing behaviors. Some methods our IT team has employed include reducing the period of inactivity required for associates’ laptops to go into hibernation mode; upgrading operating systems remotely instead of relying on on-premises infrastructure; scaling down on the use of office printers through cloud sharing; and switching associates from desktops to laptops through the move to remote work.

2.    Commit to using a high percent of renewable energy sources

In addition to evaluating and reducing current energy usage, the IT sustainability framework should consider sourcing renewable energy to create absolute reductions in emissions. In fact, increasing usage of renewable energy sources can be incredibly cost effective as solar and wind energy continues to become more affordable.

Cognizant is committed to sourcing 100% of our electricity needs from renewable sources by the end of 2026. Here are some of the critical ways our IT teams are helping us turn this goal into a reality:

• Entering power purchase agreements (PPA) with renewable energy developers for solar and wind projects. We plan to use renewable energy certificates where our electricity demand is insufficient to warrant use of a PPA.
• Upgrading old equipment with new technologies that meet our energy efficiency standards. Our teams are activelyworking to upgrade our facilities with more efficient technologies. Some methods being evaluated include upgrading aging HVAC equipment with modular uninterruptible power supply units, consolidating UPS systems, reengineering chilled water distribution and replacing fluorescent lights with LEDs.
• Setting up a centralized enterprise building management platform. This platform will pull in energy use data from all our facilities and organize it into a single, easily accessible online repository. This real-time source of information will not only empower us to make better decisions, but it will enable us to help our clients use data automation and Internet of Things (IOT) services to improve their own energy efficiency.

We’ve already increased our global sourcing of renewable electricity to 30%, which is a 3% increase from 2021 through these initiatives. We estimate that these projects will have an energy savings potential of up to 4.7M kWh.

3.    Set and track supply chain emissions goals

IT teams can also play a role in providing data on greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions that will help us set net-zero targets. This data can help suppliers identify energy inefficiencies throughout their and their partners’ operations, as well as flag opportunities for optimization.

These opportunities could include evaluating transportation inefficiencies, developing more sustainable inventory management methods and setting realistic emission reduction goals.

Cognizant's suppliers are required to gather and report their GHG emissions to us and establish their own net-zero targets. Setting these standards and helping our suppliers find new opportunities to improve their own sustainability targets has been critical in reducing our Scope 3 emissions, which represent 63% of our overall carbon footprint. 

4.    Develop smart guidelines around travel

Travel emissions have already been reduced drastically for many organizations, largely as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. But today, many companies struggle with whether to continue supporting fully remote work, take a hybrid approach or require a full-time work-in-office requirement.

IT teams can help leadership determine what is right for their company culture and overall productivity by:

• Surveying and collecting data on the effectiveness of existing digital tools and processes
• Identifying potential technology roadblocks that are hindering collaboration and productivity for remote teams
• Encouraging a culture of open communication and feedback by establishing new channels such as regular check-ins with key internal teams, online forums and suggestion boxes

Cognizant strives to increase cross-functional communications and establish better checks and balances for travel. We’ve seen a 72% drop in travel emissions by:

• Setting stronger limits on travel expenses
• Requiring pre-travel approval and informing associates on the carbon footprint of travel 
• Building on reports from the airlines we use to identify wasteful trends 

5.    Ensure a culture of transparency

Reaching net zero takes commitment and a culture shift. While IT teams can’t be solely responsible for these elements, they can play an important role in helping large companies increase buy-in throughout the organization.

For example, our IT teams help ensure we have the platforms necessary to educate our partners, clients and associates on how our processes and procedures work together to reduce our global emissions.

IT is a lynchpin of business sustainability

Our IT team plays a major role in reducing our environmental impact. With their support, we’ve transformed our sustainability initiatives with data and technology strategies that have put us on a sure path to a net-zero future.

Author Sudhanshu Saxena is an enterprise architect for hybrid cloud services at Cognizant. Related: Read more Cognizant guest blogs here.