With the collective awareness of individuals, groups, and organizations alike becoming more attuned to the importance of sustainability, it is crucial that sustainable practices are not only adopted but enabled – and what seems to be a particularly successful method of enabling sustainable practices is through technology.
1. Microsoft & Sustainability
Microsoft has stood out among the tech giants as a leader in sustainable technology – not only have they made great efforts to reduce their own environmental impact, but the solutions they provide have enabled hundreds of thousands of businesses to become more sustainable, simply through adopting more modern technology. There’s been an increase in Microsoft Partners, who are Managed Service Providers UK businesses trust, who are providing more Sustainable IT Solutions for companies.
So, how exactly has Microsoft fostered sustainability in the business world?
To start with, it has a lot to do with their line of flagship products, which are collectively known as the Microsoft Modern Workplace; this includes Microsoft 365, Azure, which offers all the tools to build a superb IT infrastructure for any business; additionally, the Modern Workplace includes Microsoft’s security platform: EMS, and the Microsoft Power Platform.
All of these products are cloud-based, which is the key to the sustainability credentials of the Modern Workplace. For example, Microsoft 365 is the perfect set of tools for a paperless business – this is thanks to the Office Apps, cloud-based file storage and sharing via OneDrive and SharePoint, and unified communication through Microsoft Teams. Additionally, remote and hybrid working is easily enabled with Microsoft 365, which is a very sustainable option for businesses that want to cut costs by getting rid of their office.
Additionally, Microsoft Azure – which is their cloud-computing platform – offers virtualization capabilities and hosting for servers, applications, and much more in Microsoft’s datacenters – which have been proven time and time again to be much more energy-efficient than if an equivalent amount of data was stored on a local, on-premise server.
The key takeaway from Microsoft’s cloud-based products and services is that businesses can easily reduce their carbon footprint by migrating to a more energy-efficient, cloud-based infrastructure. Additionally, cloud infrastructures are much more future-proofed, so businesses can also save money with it.
2. IT & Sustainability
Another way in which Microsoft enables more sustainable practices in business is through its partner network. For customers using Microsoft 365, and various other Microsoft services, reliable and accessible IT support is necessary. This is delivered through Microsoft’s network of partners, which enables that customers, no matter where they are based, have access to local IT Support Partners that meet the standard of service Microsoft has laid out for their products.
Outsourcing your IT Support is another sustainable practice because most IT support can be delivered remotely, which offers yet more energy efficiency when compared with physical IT support.
3. Enhance Automation and Productivity
Today’s businesses can’t function without process automation. Automation decreases the number of steps in the manufacturing process and speeds up output. Microsoft Dynamics, for example, uses artificial intelligence to automate several business processes.
These technologies assist employees to save time by reducing the amount of time they spend on simple, tedious, or repetitive chores. This frees them up to work on more challenging and important projects. Companies may enhance efficiency and concentrate on growth by automating these operations with Microsoft technology.
4. Improve The Relationship With Your Customers
A company’s success is entirely dependent on the satisfaction of its customers. Increased sales, corporate objectives, and growth can’t be achieved until we build genuine relationships with our clients. Being able to communicate effectively with your target audience is the first step in building and keeping such connections.
5. Enhance Collaboration
Collaboration is critical in business. When Covid-19 hit in 2020, it had a significant influence on the workforce, forcing a lot of businesses to go to teleworking. Remote work looks to be here to stay, even if most businesses have reopened and employees are partially back in the office.
6. Cost Savings
Using Microsoft’s services and technology as a whole also has the benefit of reducing expenses. Microsoft is well aware that technology is a strategic advantage for enterprises. You can enhance customer relationships, increase productivity, and cut expenses by utilizing Microsoft technologies to their maximum capacity.
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