New information technologies, the dematerialization of processes and of a large number of products and services have revolutionized the way companies operate in relation to the various markets they address. Although the widespread use of ICTs has reduced the impact of human activities on the environment, their positive effects seem to be limited by the costs of manufacturing equipment (infrastructure, servers, client workstations, mobile terminals, smartphones, etc.), software design and the energy consumption required to operate them.
In 2019, NICTs globally emitted between 4 and 10 % of greenhouse gases and consumed up to 15 % of the electricity produced on the planet. In 2020, if the Covid crisis had the effect of significantly improving air quality during the phases of confinement and reduced activity (air traffic, cars, industrial activity, etc.), it was on the other hand at the origin of a massive increase in Internet traffic (more than 50 % on the French territory). The generalization of teleworking and the increased use of applications hosted on the cloud have shifted the issues of consumption and GHG emissions to data centers (server, storage, network and security equipment) and telecom infrastructures... While locally your applications run on average 9 hours a day, 5 days a week, applications in SaaS mode positioned on the cloud operate 24/7. Moreover, the hosting resources are oversized to ensure a contractual quality of service and to be ready for any eventuality.
These figures highlight their impact on the environment and underline the importance of reducing the carbon footprint of companies. Companies have a real social responsibility and must now focus on the efficiency and sustainability of software and hardware resources to reduce l'impact of companies on the environment.
ICT frugality and circular economy
To reduce l'impact of companies on the environment and control their expenses, managers must therefore play on two inseparable levers: hardware infrastructure and software. The challenge is to rationalize the overall infrastructure in order to make the best use of the IT tools that are essential to the operation of companies and the performance of their employees. This optimization starts with the software, because in the professional environment, hardware configurations are sized according to software requirements (storage space, processors, memory, etc.).
In order to reduce l'impact of companies on the environmentThe secondary market for business software licenses is available to CIOs. Thanks to this innovative second-hand market, developed on the principle of the circular economy, the software license enters a longer life cycle. The re-use of software licenses has been made possible by a ruling of the European Court of Justice on the right to control an asset incorporating intellectual property rights. This is the first step towards green IT.
The eco-benefits of used software licensing
The opportunities in the secondary market for professional software licenses are considerable. By purchasing your software license second-hand, you extend the life of the software, which in turn reduces its impact during the design phase. By choosing used licenses that are operational and adapted to the configuration of your computer workstations, you also extend the useful life of your hardware infrastructure. This stops the need to upgrade your licenses on a regular basis. This strategy leads to the updating of your hardware park with more and more powerful computers, but ultimately oversized compared to the needs of users (For example, Office 2019 requires more memory and power resources than Office 2007, with the same main features).
In addition to implementing a low-impact approach to business, buying used licenses provides substantial savings that you can spend on other projects. The secondary market also gives you greater flexibility as your organization grows. With software licenses available at a discount (up to 80 % off the original price), you can equip your employees with all the applications they need.
The virtuous circle of second-hand licensing
A virtuous circle is established with the secondary market to limit theimpact of companies on the environment. The initiative for this movement came from a company that put software on the market that it no longer used. Installed on computers, this software consumed unnecessary computer resources and could be a security vulnerability if not updated. By deciding to offer it for sale on the Softcorner platform, the company uninstalls the application and archives the data on external media. This streamlines desktop usage, frees up storage space and relieves the system of unsolicited requests for ghost applications. As a purchaser of used business licenses, you can equip your company at a very good price with software that is fully compliant (licenses, license keys, documentation, installation media) and functional.
In addition to joining the secondary market, you can continue your commitment to responsible digital technology by joining the Planet Tech Care organization, for example. This organization supports IT departments in their CSR efforts to reduce the amount of waste they produce.impact of companies on the environment.
