SUSTAINABLE IT PLAYBOOK FOR TECHNOLOGY LEADERS : design and implement sustainable it practices... and unlock sustainable business opportunities

At a critical point in human history, this book presents proven ways to gain the skills needed to develop sustainable IT practices and set yourself apart as a progressive technology leader Key Features Execute a sustainable IT strategy with proven methods and real-world use cases Progress as a sustainable IT advocate and set yourself apart from other senior IT leaders Increase your chances of receiving executive buy-in on your sustainable IT strategy Book Description We are at a critical point in human history. Humanity is under threat, but all is not lost. We can take action! But how? Sustainable IT Playbook for Technology Leaders will show you how. It will walk you through the construction and implementation of a sustainable IT strategy and enable you to do your bit for the future of mankind. The book is split into three parts. Part I details the “why” and the clear and present danger that humanity faces today: the climate crisis. How did we get here, what are the immediate threats, what are the planetary boundaries that we need to peel back to safe levels, and what impact does IT have on society at large? Part II will focus on the "what.” It examines the nitty-gritty details of what we can do to unlock significant returns on sustainable investments toward a more sustainable future. Part III, the final part of the book, focuses on the “how.” How do you turn your ideas into action? What do you need to do to establish your baseline and your direction of travel towards your objective? This part provides tangible case studies and explains how you can start your journey today to begin delivering global and impactful objectives. By the end of this book, you'll be able to plan, implement, and communicate a sustainable IT strategy and set yourself apart as a progressive technology leader. What you will learn Discover why IT is a major contributor to carbon emissions Explore the principles and key methods of sustainable IT practices Build a robust, sustainable IT strategy based on proven methods Optimize and rationalize your code to consume fewer resources Understand your energy consumption patterns Apply a circular approach to the IT hardware life cycle Establish your sustainable IT baseline Inspire and engage employees, customers, and stakeholders Who this book is for This book is for executive IT leaders such as CIOs, CDOs, and CTOs dedicated to influencing, inspiring, and engaging businesses, organizations, and individuals to reduce their carbon footprint through sustainable IT practices. Table of Contents Our Most Significant Challenge Ahead Rise of Sustainable IT The Fundamental Building Blocks of a Sustainable IT Practice Data Center & Cloud Application & Data IT Hardware Management Power Energy Management Leveraging Your Buying Power Sustainability by IT Get started today Putting a Sustainable IT Strategy in place From Strategy to Execution – Lead with Purpose and Deliver Progress Quickly Cover Titlte Page Copyright and Credits Foreword Contributors Table of Contents Preface Part 1: Why Is Sustainable IT Important? Chapter 1: Our Most Significant Challenge Ahead Climate change – our most significant challenge ahead What are GHG emissions? How did we get here? Bending the curve History of sustainability Sustainability trends The Paris Agreement EU Taxonomy Sustainable finance GHG Protocol Corporate Standard Science-based targets Innovate or die Transitioning to a circular economy The well-kept secret of the IT industry Summary Further resources Bibliography Chapter 2: Rise of Sustainable IT What is sustainable IT? Sustainability in IT, sustainability by IT, and IT for society Sustainable IT GHG emission taxonomy Corporate sustainability and sustainable IT Drivers for a sustainable IT agenda ESG considerations for IT Financial value Non-financial value Risks Employee engagement Readiness Summary Bibliography Part 2: What Are Sustainable IT Practices? Chapter 3: The Fundamental Building Blocks of a Sustainable IT Practice The unprecedented growth of IT Sustainable IT reference model Data centers and the cloud Applications and data IT hardware management Energy resource management Leveraging buying power Sustainability by IT Summary Bibliography Chapter 4: Data Center and Cloud The information backbone of our connected world The sustainability benefits of moving from on-premises to cloud computing Definition of the cloud The value of the cloud Sustainable IT benefits from cloud computing Location Energy consumption Life cycle assessment Data center sustainability score card The rise of the net-positive cloud Choosing a sustainable cloud service provider Microsoft Azure Google Cloud Amazon Web Services Alibaba Cloud Oracle Tencent Cloud IBM Cloud vendor report cards The power of alliances Summary Further reading Bibliography Chapter 5: Application and Data The world runs on software Transforming Enterprise Architecture to help achieve sustainability targets Turning a sustainability strategy into action with Enterprise Architecture Transforming business architecture with the UN’s SDGs Optimizing application and data architectures in the cloud using best practice frameworks A pragmatic Enterprise Architecture framework for sustainability tracking Application portfolio management Application rationalization process Application assessment criteria TIME analysis Sustainable software development Choosing energy-efficient programming languages Sustainable SDLC Measuring your CO2 spend in the cloud Summary Further reading Bibliography Chapter 6: IT Hardware Management Understanding the impact of IT hardware equipment Product design and manufacturing Product lifetime expansion Energy consumption Finite resources and hazardous substances End-of-life management Circular IT hardware management Social responsibility – a key unlocking circular transition Making a business case for change ITAD – the rise of a new circular industry Services Global footprint and service availability Process Data sanitization Why and how does ITAD fit with the Electrolux sustainability strategy? Choosing a sustainable IT hardware provider Lenovo HP Dell Apple Acer Asus IT hardware vendor report cards IT hardware sustainability scorecard Summary Further reading Bibliography Chapter 7: Energy Resource Management Transitioning to a low-carbon future The energy mix Energy and foreign policy The importance of energy security in ICT Energy consumption from IT hardware The calculation for the energy consumption and carbon emission of a notebook The calculation for the energy consumption and carbon emission of a desktop The calculation for the energy consumption and carbon emission of a server Summary of energy consumption and carbon emission of ICT devices Understanding your energy consumption patterns Step-change to energy resource efficiency Buy resource-efficient hardware Leverage low-carbon source Take advantage of system power management settings Going virtual Exploring smart technologies Summary Further reading Bibliography Chapter 8: Leveraging Your Buying Power Drivers for sustainable IT vendor and procurement management Essential IT sustainability requirements Corporate commitments Environmental Social Product and service Circularity Create a market for sustainable IT Address the hotspots The process The ABC for sustainable IT procurement Sustainable IT vendor management Step 1 – establishing and maintaining the program Step 2 – onboarding and divesting vendors Step 3 – sustainable IT value realization Step 4 – vendor life cycle management Vendor management sustainability scorecard Summary Further reading Bibliography Chapter 9: Sustainability by IT Unlocking a more sustainable future Carbon emission reporting ESG risk management Sustainable sourcing and manufacturing Environmentally friendly transportation Energy-efficient buildings Energy resource management Hybrid work Eco-friendly travel Leveraging and promoting e-services Product-as-a-Service (PaaS) From ownership to usership Embracing the subscription economy Taking the plunge with a first initiative – Kids Btwin bike subscriptions Understanding the evolution of subscription business models – shifting from products to subscriber-centric services Let’s be concrete – how to get started Moving forward – outcomes and what is next Scaling with the associated digital landscape – driving positive IT environmental economics The need to increase the pace of innovation What is a hackathon? Citizen-driven innovation Summary Further reading Bibliography Part 3: How Do You Accelerate Sustainable IT? Chapter 10: Get Started Today The sustainable IT maturity model© The five dimensions of the sustainable IT maturity model© The five maturity levels of the sustainable IT maturity model© Sustainable IT maturity model assessment Understand impact areas Data center and cloud IT hardware Energy management IT asset disposition Network traffic Establishing your sustainable IT emission baseline Introduction Parameters and assumptions Setting up the emissions table IT asset registry Emission baseline single year Simulating your target state Multi-year simulation Summary Bibliography Chapter 11: Putting a Sustainable IT Strategy in Place Introduction to the sustainable IT strategic planning process Sustainable IT strategy (input) Sustainable IT strategic planning process Sustainable IT strategy (output) IT and sustainability – part of the problem? Part of the solution! Creating your own sustainable IT strategy Materiality assessment Enterprise sustainability goals and priorities Enterprise sustainability strategy Sustainable IT strategy Setting your direction of travel toward a sustainable future Summary Bibliography Chapter 12: From Strategy to Execution – Lead with Purpose and Deliver Progress Quickly Courageous sustainable leadership Environmental sustainability Uniting technology and sustainability Sustainability at scale – translating strategy into action Delivering on the sustainability agenda through sustainable technology The 5Cs to secure successful digital transformation Bringing everything together Summary Bibliography Index Other Books You May Enjoy This IT book tells the story of IT and technology's journey toward planetary stewardship in three parts. It is not only about changing course, about setting a new standard on how technology can be delivered by focusing on sustainability, but also about how it can unlock opportunities toward a more sustainable future.