IT technology delivers multiple sustainability advantages
By Paul Smithson
13/10/2011
It is up to the chief information officer (CIO) - or equivalent IT head - to harness the power of technology to push sustainable strategies forward.
Industry expert Mark Greenlaw wrote on Business Green's Industry Voice blog that people in such positions already work alongside staff from every department in a business, so they are ideally placed to promote best practices.
Professionals in charge of IT management software could consider calling for increased use of video conferencing, online portals and remote access to achieve savings both financially and in environmental terms, according to Mr Greenlaw.
"As green IT has expanded from buying more energy-efficient servers and data centres, to finding ways to optimise lighting, monitor green house emissions and even implement new technologies to improve business processes, the CIO's role has expanded," he added.
The blogger noted that many firms are now hiring chief sustainability officers and suggested people with CIO experience could be great candidates for such roles.
Experts of the digital information age were called upon this week by world-renown economist Carlota Perez, who told Adweek that technologists and entrepreneurs should be advising governments on their sustainability strategies.
In her opinion, there are too many "dinosaurs" in positions of power, whose views are based on a previous times that are no longer sufficiently relevant to the way the world works.
