Wipro, Pure Storage partner for sustainable technology in data centres

IT services firm Wipro has announced the partnership of its FullStride Cloud subsidiary with enterprise data storage provider Pure Storage to drive sustainable technology in its data centres. 

The collaboration is aimed at providing efficient strategies to minimise the environmental impact, thereby driving a more sustainable data centre footprint, as part of its environmental, social and governance (ESG) efforts, according to a statement from the company. 

ESG is a framework used to assess an organisation's business practices and performance on various sustainability and ethical issues.

Wipro launched its FullStride Cloud Services in July 2021 and announced a $1 billion in technology, talent, and partnerships in its cloud business. 

As per the statement, the two companies will incorporate the best practices in sustainable technology by improving direct carbon emissions in data storage systems and increased power efficiency. 

Stephanie Trautman, Chief Growth Officer at Wipro Limited, said, “Together with Pure Storage, we’re helping to meet (customer) need in the area of data storage and in data centres.” 

The company’s approach involves assessing, identifying, implementing, and monitoring sustainable technologies that optimise resource utilisation and manage down waste, emissions, and energy impacts, she added.  

An additional impact priority for the partnership will be around e-waste reduction. Instead of following the traditional method of replacing entire systems during hardware upgrades, the focus will be on continually upgrading an array of components. This approach promotes resource efficiency and contributes by extending the lifecycle of technology assets, the company said. 

Not just Wipro, for IT services companies, sustainability based on ESG metrics are becoming a crucial component in winning deals since clients are considering sustainability a top priority.  

To be sure, Infosys has been at the forefront of the ESG movement. The company also became carbon neutral in 2020. In its annual report for Fy2022-23, the IT major said, “At Infosys, we incorporate environmental considerations into everything that we do, as we power the journey towards a sustainable world for all.” About 58% of electricity for Infosys’s India operations comes from renewable sources today. 

According to IT major Tata Consultancy Services (TCS’s) latest annual report, renewable energy sources make up 55% of its overall operations compared with 7.25% in 2016. 

In fact Wipro itself aims to use 100% renewable energy for its electricity requirements in India. 

Meanwhile, markets regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), published a regulatory framework in March 2023 on ESG disclosures for listed companies and a regulatory framework for ESG rating providers. 

The regulator said that the new disclosures, called the Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting (BRSR) core, would be applied to the 150 top listed companies by market capitalisation from the coming fiscal year beginning on April 1 and would be gradually extended to the top 1,000 listed companies by the fiscal year ending in March 2027.  

The BRSR Core contains a limited set of key performance indicators for which listed entities should obtain reasonable assurance, SEBI said.  

Further, in a notification dated July 20, SEBI said that ESG schemes will have to invest at least 65% of their assets under management (AUM) in companies which are reporting on comprehensive BRSR disclosures and requirement shall be applicable with effect from October 1, 2024. 

According to a survey by market research firm Gartner published on November 2022, majority of business leaders plan on increasing existing sustainability investments at their organisation to protect from disruption caused by economic uncertainty and geopolitical conflict.

The analyst firm showed that globally, 86% of executives at organisations with annual revenue of at least $250 million believe investing in ESG programs and initiatives will provide tenacity and longevity amid disruption.