Including Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles into your business’s sustainability plan may initially seem overly complicated, writes Kevin Thompson, Senior Cloud Operations Manager, Sage Africa & Middle East.
Nevertheless, there are numerous advantages for businesses that adopt ESG and go even further by integrating digitalisation and cloud computing solutions into their sustainability strategies.
Technology provides organisations with valuable tools and guidelines to seamlessly incorporate sustainability into all business operations.
For Sage, sustainability is about doing the right thing, even though there are numerous definitions, frameworks, and acronyms.
With the aid of technology, it is crucial for businesses to maintain sustainable and ESG-structured operations.
Big and small businesses are at the heart of the transition to a low carbon economy
Regardless of their size, businesses will face mounting pressure to demonstrate the resilience of their business models in the face of climate change and exhibit a genuine commitment to the transition to net zero emissions.
Although calculating and reducing carbon emissions can be challenging, transitioning to a cloud-based computing environment is a great place to start.
By adopting cloud computing, businesses can effectively lower their carbon footprint by reducing emissions and increasing the use of renewable energy.
The cloud provides valuable assistance to businesses by offering on-demand access to resources and services, eliminating the need to build, own, or oversee infrastructure.
As a result, the cloud has made big data technology accessible and affordable to organisations of all sizes.
The cloud has also made big data technology accessible and affordable to organisations of all sizes, allowing businesses to analyse and use rich data enabling them to improve business processes including their sustainability efforts.
Digitalisation enables more sustainable business operations
The utilisation of digital technology provides numerous prospects for advancement.
Businesses can benefit from digital transformation by making more sustainable investment decisions and establishing and developing ESG data sets methodically.
In the long run, disclosing the company’s ESG data sets will provide superior results to its competitors.
Cloud computing also reduces the demand for physical hardware while lowering the amount of e-waste generated when outdated IT equipment is disposed of and lessens reliance on paper.
For example, we no longer need to print documents to sign because cloud-based services make it possible to do so electronically.
A great advantage is that cloud computing has also proven to help achieve ESG goals.
Recycling and reusing physical equipment are just two instances of environmental consideration.
In addition, the large amount of data you get access to through your cloud solutions will assist you in meeting your ESG goals, saving time, energy, and resources spent on data collection and analysis.
It also allows you to change your company’s processes and practices to align with your ESG goals.
The move to the cloud is a positive step for IT and business leaders aiming to improve their organisations’ sustainability and digitally transform.
ESG is an ever-evolving landscape, and implementing a strategy combining industry and digital experience to assist ESG efforts by leveraging the cloud is a game changer for any business.
When a business contemplates migrating to the cloud, it consciously decides to lessen its environmental impact and conserve natural resources.
*This column was written by By Kevin Thompson, Senior Cloud Operations Manager, Sage Africa & Middle East. The views expressed by Kevin Thompson are not necessarily those of The Bulrushes
