Introduction to the Role of IT in Corporate Sustainability
Technology Goes Green. Is this even possible? How can we continue to evolve our technologies internally and externally while reducing the impact on the environment? MSI is a company committed to corporate sustainability and, as such, we had to figure out how we were going to make a difference internally within the technology team.
According to Wikipedia, corporate sustainability is defined as “a business approach that creates long-term shareholder value by embracing opportunities and managing risks deriving from economic, environmental, and social developments”. During our initial meeting, the traditional environmental ideas surfaced around recycling, reducing paper output (or the utopian idea of a paperless office), carpooling, and controlling lighting. We then pushed ourselves to think a bit further outside the box as we knew that there had to be a whole untapped area where we could be a key contributor. Over the weeks and months, this blog will outline several of the key technology evolutions that we have made at MSI. We’re going to begin with our internal transition to the use of web based conferencing for our marketing, business development, client service, and supply chain management teams.
MSI utilizes WebEx web conferencing services. WebEx is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cisco. The core WebEx services enable MSI team members to conduct meetings and events virtually, while maintaining live engagement and interaction. Through WebEx’s Meeting Center we are able to share content directly from our workstation(s) with any and all participants, regardless of their global location. Additionally, the services support full audio and video conference and even enable control of desktops to be passed from one attendee to another. Therefore, items such as Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, Google Docs and other content are readily accessible and viewable by all parties. We also utilize WebEx for our e-learning series of webinars, Global Bridges and Real Estate Series.
Our investment in WebEx was centered on increasing the efficiency of travel and entertainment. A typical MSI user of WebEx Meeting Center saves over 430 hours of travel time (physically in the air) on an annualized basis and reduces their carbon footprint by 115,883 pounds or 52.54 metric tons per year. These results are based on a series of assumptions provided directly from WebEx and may be located at www.webex.com/carboncalculator.html. This footprint is solely based on the air portion of the trip and does not factor in rental car in meeting location; travel to and from the airport by the sales representative, and other downstream utilities that produce their own footprints based on their services being consumed.
Our experience with the WebEx product has been very positive. Our customers appreciate the flexibility it provides and it has enhanced our overall service delivery while reducing our negative environmental impact. It’s just one of the things MSI is doing to remain socially responsible.
Posted on 12/16/2008 in Technology | Comments (0)
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