5 Sustainable Data Practices for Enterprise Mobility

While enterprise mobility continues to take the business world by storm, we mustn’t overlook the carbon footprint of both the devices and data involved. Everything we do on the Internet to send and receive data requires some form of energy. Manufacturing the enterprise mobility devices themselves is an energy-intensive process that produces plenty of hazardous chemical waste. Therefore, we need to monitor, conserve, and optimize how much data we use to avoid bloating our devices’ storage and wasting energy.  

• Clear out on junk data

It’s very easy to conclude that you need more storage when you realize your collective device storage is filling fast. Thinking about how much pollution and energy is involved in a physical device should be enough to reconsider going on a device buying spree. Don’t forget even for cloud storage, your data is still stored in a physical data center. So, look at what’s filling up your storage in the first place. Chances are a good portion of the data can be deleted without any consequences. When you free up the data in existing devices, you’ll probably won’t need more devices for storage!  

• Focus on small data

Big Data is the latest tech obsession and data analytics is a part and parcel of enterprise mobility systems. However, what percentage of that data do you actually need? The Economist  estimates that organizations have no knowledge on how to use 70 to 90% of collected data, otherwise known as “dark data”. If you don’t know what to do with so much data, it could set you back with gigabytes of wasted space and a hefty electric bill at worst. Cleaning out the data also consumes time and energy, so why not go smaller to avoid it? Make more from less, especially with granular analysis and resource optimization.  

• Using the latest technology for networks

It’s not just about saving time moving data around with new network protocols such as 5G, Bluetooth 5 and WiFi 6. The faster network speeds mean devices will spend much less time sending and receiving data, and in turn, use less energy. Governments around the world are working with network providers to deploy 5G. It’s high time for us to phase out devices that only support older network technologies and look into upgrading network infrastructure as the sustainable way forward.   

• Support or build energy efficient data centers

Did you know that data centers have been accounting for 1% of global electricity since the past decade? That’s more than what some entire countries use. Data doesn’t just travel in a straight line from one place to another. It goes through multiple devices around the world, multiplying itself and its energy usage. Thankfully, data centers are on the way to becoming not only energy efficient but also run on non-polluting renewable energy. That’s why its share of global electricity has stayed the same for so long. It’s critical to continuous support to sustainability initiatives directed towards data centers by companies, governments and regulators alike.   

• Recycle any e-waste

Of course, storage devices can wear down with time and become too unsafe to store precious data in. Even if the device doesn’t have a ‘Do Not Dispose’ label, don’t put it in the bin. As an electronic device, it may still contain harmful chemicals that could leach into the ground. Don’t leave it in indefinite storage taking up space either. Thankfully, there are plenty of e-waste recycling solutions around the world. Some of them even offer you cash in exchange. For example, in Malaysia, we’ve partnered with ERTH to handle the e-waste of our clients. Recycling broken storage devices is the final crucial piece to the sustainability picture! The impacts of environmental pollution and excessive energy consumption are no laughing matter to the IT industry. Therefore, everyone in the industry should strive to do their part to reduce their carbon footprint, and develop and support sustainable technologies. Data is only one of the many aspects to address!  

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