Around 15 years ago, I was involved in a large ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system deal. It involved HR capabilities (including talent management, compensation etc), financial capabilities (like accounts payable and receivable), logistics capabilities (stocks and inventory) and procurement capabilities (vendor management etc). At the time, the obvious choice and the best solution was to have all these capabilities integrated into one platform and coolest at the time was the SAP system (possibly it still is). The major advantage was having it all connected and with huge amount of transactions handled by one platform by everyone, the cost per transaction went down considerably (economies of scale).

Could this approach at amalgamation on to one platform work in the DPA world as well? Does it make sense to run all the processes on one platform in order to get the economies of scale? For many years organizations have decided to stick with one platform to see cost per transaction go down, simplification of the architecture and an advantage of only building skills on one platform. And, if you trust everything the polished vendor slides are saying, you should use the same platform for CRM, Customer Service and Sales to really reap all the benefits. The story of one platform (to rule them all) is indeed quite convincing! And this trend (especially the use of a platform for many purposes) has been going on for some time now (just look at the waves and quadrants). The big Question is how come not all organizations are ‘buying it’?

In my view it all comes down to two other strategies, ‘best-of-breed’ and ‘fit-for-purpose’. Adopting a best-of-breed strategy means you want the best technical capabilities from the leading vendor in each specific area, be it DPA or CRM or Marketing automation. This is not new and explains why the ERP concept wasn’t as successful in the CX area. However, having a fit-for-purpose approach is newer.

Imagine you bought a state-of-the-art DPA platform (like Pega or Appian) to manage your super complex and highly regulatory payment processes with embedded business rules for payment investigations and disputes. The platform might be quite expensive but considering what you’re saving in quality, compliance and automation – ‘it’s so worth it!’. For this exact purpose, the leading DPA platform would be a perfect fit, especially if it’s a framework (like a regulatory scheme) that the vendor consistently updates twice a year. Now imagine a few years down the line, you’re implementing GDPR. Still highly regulatory and some complexity. The leading DPA solution might still be fit-for-purpose here. But, what happens if the bank wants to send out a survey about the new Mobile App and is offering each respondent two movie tickets, that are being sent to their home address? Probably, the leading DPA platform is a bit of an overkill for this purpose, while a simple low code tool or a basic case management tool could be fit-for-purpose here. 

Only the last month, I’ve come across three very large banks that are using several process platforms at the same time, as a part of their strategy. But, on the other hand, medium or smaller sized organizations can possibly not afford three parallel technologies based on different use cases. There, it would make more sense to see if there are platforms that are good enough for all (or at least most) of the prospective use cases and usage areas. The advantages of using one platform for both DPA, CRM, Customer Service and Sales can also be substantial there. Especially, since you have only one technology to maintain, one technology skill to build capabilities on etc, which would argue the case for ‘one platform to rule them all’. Are you unsure of where your new use case should fit best? Feel free to reach out to us!

How banks are using data to monitor and manage their customer experience performance

It’s 2023, and banks are still being asked to go in two directions at once.
On one hand, banks must keep up with customers’ evolving expectations, while on the other, they must continuously improve business profitability. It’s a challenge that requires a high degree of coordination and strategic planning. Unfortunately, for many banks a lack of effective metrics and processes is hindering their ability to make informed, real-time decisions, and that’s holding them back. This blog will explore how effective customer experience performance management can help banks achieve their business objectives with optimal customer satisfaction.

The intersection of business and customer experience
Banks must focus on achieving specific business improvements such as cost reduction and revenue enhancement – without sacrificing customer experience. Preference should be given for transformation projects that meet these expectations­. Projects such as omnichannel communication, self-service adoption, knowledge management, mobile-first design, and CCaaS all have the potential to improve the customer experience and drive business results.

To improve customer service, banks must define specific, controllable customer service activities that can be performed, measured, and improved at each level of the organization. This should include coordination across the customer life cycle, technology acquisition, processes, customer interactions, and collaboration with partners. There’s a term for this process: customer service performance management. The benefits of customer service performance management are clear – streamlined decision making, faster process delivery, and lower customer service expenditures. So… where’s the snag?

Defining metrics…
If you can’t measure it, you can’t master it. The key to focusing attention and effort is to define the right metrics. This means leveraging data analytics and customer feedback to gain insights into customers’ behavior and preferences. In means enhancing data-sharing capabilities between departments. Do your customer service agents have access to your CRM data? Are salespeople leveraging customers’ unique histories? By defining and tracking metrics, and by sharing them securely between teams, banks can improve customer experience and drive profitability, ultimately achieving sustainable growth and long-term success in the dynamic banking industry.

…that drive improvement
With a set of data-driven metrics, step two is using those metrics to inform decisioning at every level. Some banks find it helpful to appoint a Customer Experience Officer with the authority to determine whether the defined metrics and activities support or inhibit CX goals. They should also groom and compensate customer service managers based on their enterprise vision of customer service. Additionally, banks must build a real-time analytical framework to ensure that a customer is treated appropriately at every phase in the customer life cycle.

Here are several more recommendations for improving service for banking customers:

1. Appoint a Customer Experience Officer with authority to determine whether the defined metrics and activities support or inhibit collaboration between and among multiple groups.
2. Groom and compensate customer service managers based on their enterprise vision of customer service.
3. Evolve the concept of customer life cycle management from an often discussed but poorly administered concept to a more practical approach.
4. Measure the specific effects technology has on decision making, organizational structures, business processes and customer expectations.
5. Build a real-time analytical framework to ensure that a customer is treated appropriately at every phase in the customer life cycle.

Customer Experience Analytics & Insights

A foundation for lasting customer loyalty
By making customer experience an integral part of the overall business strategy, banks can improve customer satisfaction, build customer loyalty, and enhance overall business performance. This process can also help break down silos within the organization, leading to better collaboration and communication across departments, for a more unified and cohesive customer experience.

Ultimately, banks must view customer service as an enterprise-wide business objective and prioritize effective performance management to achieve their business objectives. By leveraging customer initiatives across departments, mapping touchpoints to ensure consistency, and communicating a clear customer service roadmap to employees, banks can better meet customer expectations and achieve their business objectives.

A point of view on the technology advancements in 6G platforms and ecosystems.

Life in 2030

In 2030, the world will look dramatically different due to technological advancements in connectivity and associated technologies. The metaverse is likely to become fundamental to everyday life. 8K virtual reality (VR) headsets and brain-interface devices will probably become mainstream. There could be widespread proliferation of level-5 autonomous vehicles and hyperloop tunnels could enable faster international travel. Hypersonic airliners could enter service. “Smart Grid” technology will become widespread in the developed world. 3D-printed organs, blood vessels, and nanorobotics may improve our quality of life. Artificial brain implants could restore lost memories.  Quantum computing may become cheap enough to be mainstream. The first version of the quantum internet is likely to emerge, with terabyte internet speeds becoming commonplace. The entire ocean floor will probably be mapped, making deep ocean mining operations feasible. Hypersonic missiles will be a plausible addition to most major militaries, as will be AI-enabled warfare. The High-Definition Space Telescope (HDST) could be operational. The first permanent lunar base could be established.

Making this new hyper-connected world a reality will require a massive leap forward; one that that provides 1,000 times faster connectivity than what is possible today, with data transfer speed in terabytes per second and extremely low latency allowing response time in a few microseconds.

Although 5G networks are slowly maturing, and their full potential is still to be unleashed, the limits of 5G do not allow infrastructures and networks to simultaneously guarantee a speed of terabytes/second with extremely low latency. This calls for thinking beyond 5G.

Mobile networks: past, present, and future

Wireless cellular communication networks have seen the rise of a so-called new-generation technology approximately every ten years and each consecutive generation has resulted from disruptive technological advancement and societal change (Figure 1). If this trend continues, 6G may be introduced in the early 2030s, or at least that’s when most smartphone manufacturers will release 6G-capable mobiles, and 6G trials will be in full swing.

It is too early to provide a detailed list of features that 6G will bring, but there are emerging themes from research that are shaping new technologies like new spectrum, visible light communication, AI native radio, cell free networks, intelligent surfaces, holograph communication, non-terrestrial networks (satellites, High Altitude Platforms (HAPs), drones etc.) etc. In addition, the lessons learned from 5G network deployments and user ecosystems will play a big part in defining 6G.

What really is 6G and how it is shaping up?

6G is expected to provide hyper-connectivity that will lessen the divide between humanity and the inanimate world of machines and computers.

Considering the general trend of successive generations of communication systems introducing new services with more stringent requirements, it is reasonable to expect that 6G will build on the strengths of 5G and introduce new technologies with requirements that far exceed the capabilities of 5G.

Regulatory bodies are considering allowing 6G networks to use higher frequencies than 5G networks. Since spectral efficiency, bandwidth, and network densification are the three main ingredients needed to achieve higher data rates, this is likely to provide substantially higher capacity and much lower latency. Terahertz (THz) bands from 100GHz to 10THz are currently being considered. This will allow the delivery of a peak data rate of 1,000 gigabits/second with over-the-air latency lower than 100 microseconds. The current intent is to make 6G, 50 times faster than 5G, 10,000 times more reliable, and able to support ten times more devices per square kilometer while offering wider coverage.

Though these are early days of 6G, a rough sketch of what 6G performance will look like and its comparison with 5G is suggested in the initial studies. For example, peak data rate in 5G is 200 Gb/s, whereas that in 6G is estimated to be 1 Tb/s, maximum bandwidth is 1 GHz in 5G vs 100 GHz in 6G, latency is 1 millisecond in 5G vs 100 microseconds in 6G, reliability is 1-10^-5 in 5G vs 1-10^-9 in 6G, peak mobility supported is 500 km/h in 5G vs 1000 km/h in 6G, energy latency is not specified in 5G but in 6G it is estimated to be 1 Tb/J. Detailed comparison is available in [1].

This research into 6G may seem premature, but the geopolitical race for leadership on this next big thing in telecommunications technology is already gearing up. Countries across the globe are spending huge sums on 6G research. Various consortia are forming, and research projects are starting to address the new standards and vertical use cases, such as vehicle connectivity and private industrial networks. The key 6G initiatives across the globe are shown below (Figure 2).

6G use cases and the technologies driving them

Expanding upon the foundation of 5G, 6G will enable a much wider set of futuristic use cases that, when deployed on a massive scale, will transform the way we live and work in remarkable ways.

Telecom operators, technology providers, and academia are joining forces under various alliances and consortia and deliberating which use cases will emerge in the next decade and be adopted by 6G. NGMN [2], Next G Alliance [3], one6G [4] are just some of the leading alliances that have recently published 6G use cases.

Figure 3 shows the categorization of various 6G use cases that enhance human-to-human, human-to-machine, machine-to-machine, and machine-to-human communication.

Key technical areas

These use cases are driving the technology trends and steering the requirements for future generational change. The key technical areas that will accelerate 6G introduction include technological enhancements, architectural improvements, and accelerating adoption (Figure 4).

Top technology areas include:

1. New Spectrum: The 6G era will necessitate a 20X increase in network capacity. 6G will meet this challenge through new spectrum in range (7 to 24 GHz) including sub-THz range (larger than 100 GHz) and ultra-massive MIMO.
2. AI Native Networks: AI will become a native ingredient in 6G networks so that the network can become fully autonomous and hide the increased network complexity from users. A dynamic AI/ML-defined native air interface will be key for future networks. These interfaces could give radios the ability to learn from one another and from their environments.
3. Sensing and positioning: With near-THz frequencies, the potential for very accurate sensing based on radar-like technology arises. 6G networks will be able to sense their surroundings, allowing us to generate highly realized digital versions of the physical world. This digital awareness would turn the network into our sixth sense. It will particularly improve performance in indoor communications scenarios by acquiring and sending better information about the indoor space, range, barriers, and positioning to the network. Please refer to this for more information.
4. Security, trust, and privacy: 6G will provide advanced network security, trustworthiness, and privacy protections to unlock the full value potential of 6G, with quantum safe cryptography and distributed ledger technologies, such as blockchain.
5. Ubiquitous connectivity: 6G will provide reliable networking connectivity, focusing on extreme performance and coverage when and where needed through seamless integration of non-terrestrial networks such as satellites, drones, and HAPs with the terrestrial network. Please refer to this for more information.
6. Intelligent Reflecting Surface (IRS): IRS is a thin panel integrated with many independently controllable passive reflection elements– that can improve the security, spectrum, energy efficiency, and converge of 6G networks by adjusting the amplitude and phase shifts of reflection elements in IRS for achieving fine-grained reflect beamforming.

Capgemini’s 6G initiative

Capgemini has a rich history of leading mobile technologies and possesses end-to-end capabilities in RAN, edge, and core. In addition, Capgemini is a leading player in Open RAN, something that is likely to become more widespread as technology deployment continues.

Capgemini has a head start in 6G research, particularly in the areas of mesh networks, AI for network automation, sustainability, and quantum cryptography. Our first 6G research paper on “xURLLC in 6G with meshed RAN,” was published in the “ITU Journal on Future and Evolving Technologies (ITU J-FET) – Volume 3, Issue 3, December 2022” [9]. The objective of this research is to define a new network architecture that will make the 6G networks simpler, more flexible, and able to support extremely low latency communication.

Academic collaborations with IISc Bangalore to identify rouge base stations using abnormally high power and with Princeton University to allow federated learning towards the goal of a user-centric cell-free 6G are also underway.

Capgemini is also an active member of O-RAN alliance and participates in its next Generation Research Group (nGRG) task force to determine how O-RAN will evolve to support 6G and beyond.

Conclusion

Today, we are in quite early stages of the rollout of 5G, and we still have a long way to go with the maturing of this technology. However, this is the ideal time to plan for the future and ask what’s next. Emerging use cases for beyond 5G and 6G seem to be taking a firm footing and suggest that 5G may only open the door to such use cases. New and more stringent requirements will continue to push the evolution of wireless well beyond 5G and 6G. Capgemini is at the forefront of 6G research, with strong partnership with academia and industry.

TelcoInsights is a series of posts about the latest trends and opportunities in the telecommunications industry – powered by a community of global industry experts and thought leaders.

References

1. White Paper on Broadband Connectivity in 6G
2. NGMN Identifies 6G Use Cases
3. Next G Alliance – 6G Applications and Use Cases
4. One6G – 6G Vertical Use Cases
5. What’s Inside Counts: How 6G Can Enable Ubiquitous, Reliable Indoor Location Services
6. The Future of 6G is Up in the Air — Literally
7. Non-Terrestrial Networks in 5G & Beyond: A Survey
8. Faster, Smarter, Greener: Intelligent Reflecting Surface for 6G Communications
9. xURLLC in 6G with meshed

Rail operators want to replace old mechanical rail systems with modern digital alternatives, enabling the rapid deployment of innovative digital services.

These will include intelligent traffic management, automated shunting, infrastructure monitoring, and connected workers. Such systems however will require advanced connectivity delivered over high-bandwidth communications, with service-oriented architectures, and safety-critical cloud infrastructure. But many currently use legacy communications systems such as the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM-R), based on decades-old 2G technology.

A future intelligent rail will need to upgrade. Since such upgrades happen irregularly, a number of advances have been made since the last one. Many railways are therefore looking to jump straight to 5G, under the Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS) standard.

Designed by the International Union of Railways, FRMCS aims to become the worldwide standard. It is a network architecture is designed to provide a software platform with rail in mind, onto which new digital services to be easily built and launched, and services easily upgraded over-the-air.

FRMCS is targeted to replace GSM-R in the next 7-10 years. But this will be no easy task. Railways are complicated and new services take time because of extensive testing, verification, and

stringent safety requirements. The technological challenges are immense; including dual operation during the co-existence period, network type and technology deployment decisions, and new security threats.

But these are challenges we must overcome to deliver future rail networks – and all the safety improvements and cost savings that will come with them.

In our new whitepaper, Future Railway Mobile Communication Systems, we discuss the benefits and challenges of deploying 5G under FRMCS, and propose a model for a migration strategy.

The importance of counterparty performance management in T+1 compliance

Efficient post-trade settlement depends on counterparty performance. As financial firms gear up for T+1, counterparty performance management is becoming increasingly crucial.

Counterparty performance management measures, analyzes, and ultimately supports the ability of a party involved in a financial transaction to meet a variety of obligations in an efficient and accurate manner to facilitate timely settlement. When counterparty performance is strong, it goes a long way towards reducing the risk of settlement failures, which in turn improves the overall efficiency and stability of the settlement process.

The trade lifecycle is typically facilitated by intermediaries such as custodians, brokers, and clearing houses. Settlement failures can occur when one of the parties involved is unable to fulfil its obligations, either due to financial distress, operational errors, or other unforeseen circumstances. These failures can result in delays, additional costs, and even systemic risks to the broader financial system. Subsequently, this can bring financial, regulatory, and reputational consequences to the party at fault.

How does counterparty performance management help?

Counterparty performance management is critical in mitigating settlement risks and improving post-trade efficiency. There are several ways in which it can help, including:

Ensuring that all parties involved in a transaction have the necessary financial resources and operational capabilities to fulfil their obligations.
For example, a buyer who lacks the necessary cash to settle a transaction may cause delays or defaults, which may cause disruption to the settlement process. Similarly, a seller who fails to deliver the securities as promised will result in settlement failures. To address these risks, counterparty performance management typically requires market participants to meet certain credit and operational standards before entering or continuing a trading relationship.

Reducing the likelihood of disputes and errors during the settlement process.
When counterparties are reliable and transparent, it is easier to reconcile differences in trade data, confirm the accuracy of SSIs, and resolve any discrepancies in a timely and efficient manner. Having a transparent and collaborative relationship with your counterparties will reduce the effort, cost and risk involved in trade errors and disputes.

Reducing the need for manual intervention and unnecessary trade-processing touch points.
In some markets, settlement failures result in costly and time-consuming processes such as buy-ins, where the buyer must purchase the securities from another seller at above-market prices. Such processes can be expensive, time-consuming and have both a negative reputational and regulatory impact. These risks can be mitigated through automation which can also improve overall settlement performance.

Enhancing the overall stability of the financial system by reducing the risk of systemic failures.
Settlement failures can have cascading effects on the broader financial system, leading to market volatility, liquidity shortages, and even systemic risks. By improving counterparty performance, market participants can reduce the risk of such failures and enhance the stability of the financial system.

Why do we care?

Counterparty performance will play a critical role in meeting the challenges of T+1. As has been discussed at length in industry forums, a trade can only be settled as fast as its worst performing counterparty. With Straight Through Processing (STP) being the route to T+1 compliance, a firm’s communication with their counterparties is a critical avenue to explore to enhance STP through upfront conversations on SSIs and static data, shape matching and global operating model dependencies. A subsequent approach to truly identify the root cause of settlement inefficiencies is to perform in-depth process reviews and data analysis on trade capture, trade matching and trade settlement. By utilizing the data and analysis, the causal factors of process inefficiencies can be identified, including who the responsible party is.

What should you do?

Industry participants can improve their own processes, but it takes both sides of the trade to be maximally efficient. Regularly measuring and assessing your counterparties’ performance should be a standard process for your business; industry collaboration will be a vital aspect of readiness for T+1, not only in the US but globally, and that collaboration should be led by what a firms’ data says about where the challenges with their counterparties are. Analyzing the counterparties who have the lowest matching rates and create the most touch points can help guide a strategic counterparty outreach approach. All of this is possible using data that’s currently available.

Strong counterparty performance helps to reduce settlement risks, improve STP, and facilitates increased levels of automation. Market participants can improve counterparty performance by adopting robust operational standards, ensuring transparency and reliability in their transactions, and actively monitoring and managing known settlement risks. By doing so, they can embrace the challenge of moving to a T+1 settlement cycle as an opportunity for operational evolution and be as ready as possible for the move in May 2024.

Capgemini has been recognized as an award-winning service provider for the second consecutive year due to our ability to deliver intelligent, frictionless business operations that drive a higher level of service for shared service organizations.

As the geopolitical upheavals and the pressures of inflation continue to impact business operations across industries, it’s critical for organizations to reimagine their shared services operating model and the technology supporting them.

Indeed, a recent report by the Shared Services & Outsourcing Network (SSON) states that most shared service organization (SSO) leaders have taken steps to pre-empt further fallout by evolving a robust global business services (GBS) model. Combined with a partnership approach, shared services can drive the resiliency and digital transformation needed for businesses to stay ahead of their competition.

But what are some of the key challenges faced by SSOs? And how is Capgemini overcoming them to drive value for its clients?

Mitigating attrition and driving retention

Attrition management directly impacts client success. With changing employee paradigms, employee programs now need to constantly evolve if they want to keep pace with market demands.

We take great pride in our ability to retain our employees, and we’ve developed a number of tools to identify attrition and drive retention. These include:

• A digital early warning system that identifies dissatisfied employees
• An employee vulnerability data tool that helps to keep people morale high
• Skip-level meetings that collect unbiased employee feedback, which can be used to strengthen team spirit across the organization.

Innovation drives delivery excellence

Effective service delivery requires innovation and transformation to remove frictions in business operations, drive process optimization, minimize risk and reduce cost, and drive efficiency.

Over the years, we’ve offered a portfolio of innovative solutions and services to help our clients successfully make the jump into the digital age. Our innovative tools, industry-leading processes, controls, and transparent procedures are recognized by the industry and our clients as key differentiators.

We also benefit from our extensive experience in partnerships and developing solutions for the mutual benefit of all parties.

Putting continuous improvement front and center

Continuous improvement transforms the way an organizations operates and drives ever-higher performance levels through realizing incremental improvements.

Implementing it, however, comes with its own set of challenges. These include creating the right culture, overcoming resistance to change, identifying opportunities, and capturing return on investment.

Continuous improvement is part of our natural, day-to-day company culture at Capgemini. We’ve implemented a number of collaborative delivery excellence initiatives to improve operations in terms of delivery processes, operating models, and drive value to the end customer through innovative technologies such as AI, chatbots, robotics, and blockchain.

Capgemini is a winner!

Our approach to mitigating the challenges of attrition, effective delivery, and continuous improvement is the reason why Capgemini has recently been named Service Provider of the Year in North America in SSON’s Impact Awards 2023. This award is a testament to our teams’ relentless focus on process improvement, value creation, and delivering measurable success.

We are thrilled to be recognized again for our efforts and look forward to driving even more innovative impactful outcomes in the future!

To learn more about how Capgemini can help drive intelligent, frictionless business operations across your shared service organization that, contact: cleveland.sellers@capgemini.com

Cleveland Sellers leads the overall P&L and all aspects of Capgemini’s business services division in the Americas and is a strong proponent of customer success and digital transformation for their enterprise operations.

As organizations begin seriously considering their post-pandemic futures, they now face the challenge of walking the tight rope between meeting growth objectives and building sustainable businesses. 

Over the last year, promises of long-term sustainability agendas have more than tripled, with pledges of zero carbon and carbon neutrality abounding. While many organizations are turning to technology to meet these targets and solve environmental issues, enterprises need to ensure their IT does not become a part of the problem.  

The era of sustainable tech is on the rise. Companies are now leveraging innovative, data-driven technology to simultaneously streamline operations, cut carbon emissions, and reduce their carbon footprint. Often perceived as a savior rather than a sinner, the production, use, and disposal of technology has an often-overlooked carbon footprint: an estimated 57.4 million tons of e-waste were generated worldwide in 2021 alone. The total is growing by an average of 2 Mt a year. 

Accelerated by the fiercely dynamic and competitive markets, more organizations are embracing digital transformation across their business. As a result, demand for computing power and data storage is on the rise and so too is the energy required to produce and run them. Curating sustainable enterprise-wide digital systems will be crucial for any business trying to balance the objectives of sustainable growth post-pandemic.   

But with so little awareness on the matter, the road to successful and sustainable IT needs a clear and rigorous roadmap. Our research has found crucial factors to consider when building and implementing sustainable IT strategies – let’s have a look through each one.  

•  Understanding the task  

When it comes to strategy, half of firms have defined an enterprise-wide sustainability approach, yet less than one in five (18%) have a comprehensive, sustainable IT strategy with well-defined goals and target timelines.  

Before a clear and robust framework can be rolled out, organizations need to get clued in on what they are dealing with. Our research revealed an alarming gap in awareness regarding the overall environmental impact of IT, with fewer than half of executives (43%) globally aware of their organization’s IT footprint. Many are confused about the true impact of IT. Only 34%, for example, know that the production of mobiles and laptops has a higher carbon footprint than the usage of these devices over their lifetime.  

Getting a clear understanding of the issue is the first critical stage for firms looking to develop sustainable strategies. Once the baselines and benchmarks of an enterprise’s environmental footprint have been marked out, organizations can then look to establish, implement, and monitor key performance indicators, targets, and frameworks. 

•  Engaged and informed employees  

Employees and leaders who are engaged with sustainability agendas drive greater progress. Even the most thorough strategies can come undone when those involved are not committed to the cause. Taking things one step further by developing a specialist sustainable IT team can provide streamlined purpose and coherence. Organizations must adopt the same mindset with employees as with consumers. People want to buy from companies with sustainable products and services. Likewise, employees want to work for such organizations. People are a critical component of sustainability transformation. Therefore, you must foster a culture that celebrates and promotes environmentalism, while trusting and empowering your people to contribute their own ideas. Those who have made sustainability a pillar of the organizational culture have seen greater progress.
Our research found that 60% of organizations are adopting sustainability to align with the demands of potential employees.

•  Sustainable software architecture 

Sustainability needs to be at the very center of an organization’s business. While emissions and output need to be carefully scrutinized, developing a sustainable software architecture is an imperative.  

Understanding the environmental consequences of software deployment and making decisions based on the carbon cost of infrastructure will ingrain sustainability into the foundations of an enterprise. Once the architecture is available, specific software modules within the structural design must be viewed from a sustainability perspective. For instance, organizations should empower their developers to understand the carbon cost of their software modules and use green coding to produce algorithms that have minimal energy consumption, at all times.

Upskilling developers in circular design will help product and design teams lessen their waste and thus their environmental footprints.

Sustainable IT can play a critical role in creating a circular economy by reducing waste, maximizing resource efficiency, and promoting more sustainable production and consumption practices. By introducing sustainability into the company’s value chain, you will drive the whole organization toward new efficiencies and a circular economy.

Moving forward, sustainability must be at the core of all our efforts. While many organizations have begun to focus on their overall sustainability agenda, the critical issue of sustainable IT has been overlooked. To give sustainable IT the attention it deserves, organizations need to understand the carbon cost of our digital world and accelerate the move to sustainable systems with engaged and dedicated teams. In this way, sustainable IT can play a central part in tackling climate change, promoting a circular economy, driving innovation, and moving the world to a more resilient and sustainable future.