Sustainability has rapidly moved to the forefront of Unified Communications (UC) strategies, driven by regulatory pressures and a growing emphasis on environmental responsibility. Companies must re-evaluate emissions, extending their examination to include UC providers. Gone are the days when decision-making revolved solely around features, reliability, security, and cost. Today, businesses must consider the ecological impact of their technology choices.
This shift arises from regulatory changes that highlight sustainability’s importance. For instance, the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive will soon require large organizations to disclose supply chain emissions. This includes emissions from UC providers, implicating them directly in regulatory compliance. Courtenay Mills, Head of Voice & Data at EfficiencyIT, stresses the significance by noting, “That means the choice of UC provider may directly influence your own disclosures.” Picking the right UC provider could therefore become an essential aspect of mitigation strategies.
The growing influence of artificial intelligence (AI) on UC platforms imposes additional energy demands. As AI becomes integrated with meeting transcriptions and real-time analytics, the carbon footprint correspondingly increases. Mills highlights this variation, pointing out that, “The environmental footprint of UC platforms is not uniform.” Companies like Microsoft, for example, invest heavily in AI, complicating efforts to accurately assess emissions. Meanwhile, others like Salesforce adopt transparency, exemplified by their AI Sustainability Outlook, acknowledging challenges and mitigation strategies.
Choosing the right provider isn’t straightforward. While initiatives towards sustainability exist, transparency and independent verification vary. Some companies publish their emission figures and targets, with entities like 8×8 aiming for net zero by 2050. These efforts are attractive, but keeping commitments intact amid AI advancements remains uncertain.
For IT leaders and procurement teams, factoring sustainability into UC provider selections is increasingly crucial. It transcends marketing claims, demanding thorough introspection of emissions, measurement methods, AI workload carbon intensity, and renewable energy usage. Independent verification becomes essential to avoid compliance gaps, prompting buyers to question their suppliers strategically.
Pressure from buyers could drive industry-wide improvements, with transparency fostering proactive environmental strategies. Aligning communication infrastructure with sustainability goals ensures corporate responsibility, satisfying both operational needs and environmental commitments. As noted by Mills, “What matters is that buyers recognize sustainability is no longer a side issue but a central factor in how communications should be delivered.” The convergence of sustainability with technology evaluation marks a transformative era for UC procurement.
