MSP Industry Veterans Pursue Green IT, Carbon Reduction Software and Services Opportunities

Most of the MSP industry remains focused on artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, M&A and IT automation opportunities -- each of which certainly offers revenue and growth opportunities.

But if you poke around, you'll see a small but growing number of MSP software and IT service provider veterans beginning to focus on green IT, e-waste reduction, renewable energy, circular economy, carbon reduction and net-zero GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions strategies.

Skeptical? Perhaps these anecdotes will paint a clearer picture:

• 1E has launched 1E for Device Refresh -- a software platform that helps customers to determine if a piece of hardware should be retained, replaced, reassigned or refreshed. An associated dashboard displays refresh statuses, financial and carbon savings, interactive graphs, device details, and more. 1E CEO Mark Banfield and CTO Ian van Reenen are LogicMonitor and Autotask (acquired by Datto, then Kaseya) veterans -- which means they deeply understand MSP and channel partner opportunities.

• ESG Global leverages an MSP software and IT monitoring platform called NinjaOne to manage their hybrid workforce. ESG Global, in turn, develops a software platform for energy management.

• Evercycle is a software company that increasingly positions IT asset management (ITAM) for MSPs to address sustainability opportunities. 

• Kyndryl, a global technology infrastructure service provider, is adding AI-powered sustainability software to its portfolio of of managed technology services. The net result: Customers should be able to improve energy efficiencies across their IT systems, Kyndryl asserts. Related: Kyndryl's Faith Taylor is one of the world's highest-profile chief sustainability officers.

• Logicalis US, part of a global IT services business, has introduced Managed Digital Fabric Platform services -- which provide CIOs and customers with "the insights they need to improve both the environmental and business impact of their digital ecosystem," Logicalis US said.

• PC Powersave is seeking beta testers in the MSP community. The company's software is designed to decrease PC energy consumption, save customers money, and provide reports for MSPs to prove the energy-savings ROI (Return on Investment) to customers. Founder Daniel Ellis also is CEO of EPX Technical Services -- an IT solutions provider in Europe. (Special thanks to ConnectWise veteran Craig Fulton, an advisor at Evergreen, for the unsolicited intro to Ellis and PC Powersave.)

• ScalePad launched IT Asset Disposal (ITAD) capabilities to help partners comply with county or state regulations for the proper disposal and recycling of electronic waste. Numerous ScalePad executives -- including CEO Dan Wensley, Chief Experience Officer Luis Giraldo, and VP of Channel Eric Torres are MSP software industry veterans.

• TD SYNNEX, the global IT distributor, launched a Sustainability Ecosystem for technology partners in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Arete Zero Carbon, a specialized consultancy in the United Kingdom, is assisting the effort.

North America Channel Partners and Sustainability: Time to Get Moving

Generally speaking, the companies above appear to be ahead of IT services market in terms of sustainability and green IT solutions. Indeed, 55% of North America partners and 48% of Latin America partners are not yet tracking sustainability KPIs (key performance indicators) for customers, according to Canalys research.

Still, MSPs and technology partners need to open their eyes to the sustainability opportunity. Among the motivating factors to keep in mind:

• Nearly 90% of midsize and large organizations plan to increase their IT spending on sustainability over the next year, an IBM survey of global business leaders found. The biggest driver for IT spending on sustainability involves measuring, managing and reducing energy costs, the survey found.
• Environmental sustainability remains a Top 10 business priority for CEOs, according to Gartner.
• By 2026, 75% of organizations will increase their business engagement with IT vendors that have clear sustainability goals. As a result, CIOs will seek to replace vendors that don't have sustainability goals, according to Gartner.

With those trends in mind, the companies listed further above are developing various sustainability and green IT solutions for partners and customers.

Who's next? Keep checking this article regularly for updates.

Disclosure: Author Joe Panettieri is a board member of Produce8, a digital work software startup backed by Top Down Ventures. Top Down also is a ScalePad investor. Panettieri has no involvement or financial interest in ScalePad or Top Down.