The Record - Issue 20: Spring 2021

45 provide that level of transparency down to the customer level. “If you’re using our services, we want you to have a really clear view of the carbon footprint of those services. We’re excited about this as it means that the carbon footprint associated with our services is going to continue to lessen over time. Just as our customers can trust Microsoft technology for its security and privacy protec- tions, they can also trust us to handle that base- line sustainability concern.” Microsoft is also building a suite of products and solutions to help businesses better under- stand the full breadth of their carbon footprint and help them reduce it. “Sustainability is a part of our DNA at Microsoft,” says Scott Harden, chief technology officer of worldwide energy at Microsoft. “Our team’s charter is to take the best practices from our own sustainability efforts and look at how we can leverage it for our customers and part- ners. This way they are able to push forward with their energy transition to meet their sus- tainability goals. “We are also collaborating with other global technology pioneers to learn from their expe- riences in this space. For example, we have a strong marketing relationship with engineering and industrial software leader AVEVA, and we work perfectly in sync together. We are also developing partnerships with our customers and working with them closely on joint initiatives. Investing in sustainability is a win-win for every- one. We have seen top energy customers leaning in wholeheartedly to sustainability commitments. Today, there is more awareness that developing a circular carbon economy not only saves the planet but also greatly benefits businesses.” We asked a selection of Microsoft partners how they are using technology to accelerate the journey towards sustainability Partner perspectives “Sustainability initiatives have always been a priority for our organisation, both for internal operations as well as in our consulting practice. Our customers are actively embracing technologies that promote their sustainability initiatives. Even prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, eco-minded customers were deploying Microsoft Teams specifically with the goal to reduce travel-related carbon emissions. Customers are reducing their server farm footprints by moving applications and servers to Azure deployments, then measuring their sustainability impact as an outcome. Data shows that migrations to public cloud services can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 59 million tons per year. That’s the equivalent of removing 22 million cars from the road. We work with our clients to continually analyse their environments to ensure we are proactive in implementing both the most cost-efficient and carbon-efficient IT practices.” Clay Westbay Vice President of Delivery at Synergy Technical SilviaTerra uses AI to understand the health and species of trees for capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide