In a press release, Oday Abbosh, global managing partner, Sustainability Services, IBM Consulting, offered this assessment: "There is no quick fix... Sustainability needs to be part of day-to-day operations, not viewed only as a compliance task or reporting exercise. By embedding sustainability across their business, organizations are... better positioned to deliver both positive environmental impact and financial outcomes."

Indeed, IBM sees a way forward, one that benefits the business world as well as the world at large. In IBM's view, it is possible for corporate entities and organizations of all sizes and types and to realize business value while proactively dealing with the global challenges at present and into the foreseeable future.

This starts with careful planning and attention to detail—and naturally, technology plays a crucial role. Specifically, with the proliferation of hybrid cloud, along with the emergence of AI, the company believes the approach it's put in place in its own data centers can be readily emulated, as IBM's Dylan Boday, vice president, Technology Lifecycle Services (TLS) product management, explains.

Citing IDC research indicating that on-premises data centers typically operate at 20%–40% utilization and electricity while accounting for as much as 70% of total data center operation costs, Boday says that organizations have an opportunity to increase utilization across their IT environments, reduce energy costs and lower carbon emissions.

"The optimization of the data center is tightly linked to sustainability efforts," he says. "When enterprises refresh their data centers due to IT budget challenges and other factors, they can not only achieve cost savings, but also realize a host of additional benefits, including improved efficiency, greater security and meeting ESG goals and regulations—all of which provide a significant competitive advantage.