Quality Assurance Crucial in Shaping Sustainable IT Practices, Reports Suggest.
Amidst a growing corporate focus on sustainability, a recent survey commissioned by Gartner reveals that 87% of business leaders aim to boost their investment in sustainability over the next two years. However, the emphasis on sustainable objectives often bypasses an essential aspect — sustainable IT. Reports from Capgemini underline the challenges, indicating that 89% of organisations recycle less than 10% of their IT hardware, exposing a critical gap in prioritising sustainable IT practices.
Aligning Business-Wide and IT Sustainability Strategies
While 50% of enterprises boast a business-wide sustainability strategy, merely 18% have aligned this with a sustainable IT strategy that articulates clear goals and timeframes. This misalignment underscores the need for a comprehensive approach to drive meaningful change. Moreover, over half (52%) of enterprises believe technology firms should embed a focus on sustainable IT in their product and service development processes.
The Role of Quality Assurance in Driving Change
Addressing the sustainability challenge requires a multifaceted approach, and quality assurance (QA) emerges as a key player. QA can contribute significantly to energy efficiency and sustainable practices, both in terms of energy usage and physical hardware.
Making Testing Energy-Efficient
Efficiency in testing procedures can significantly impact energy consumption. Businesses are encouraged to scrutinise application creation and testing processes for energy efficiency. By adopting agile testing methods and reducing unnecessary loops and iterations, companies can achieve substantial energy savings. For instance, cutting down a two-hour test to 30 minutes immediately results in a 75% reduction in energy usage.
Eliminating Inefficient Code through QA
QA's role in identifying and eliminating inefficient code is crucial. By streamlining code and reducing unnecessary loops, businesses can enhance efficiency and cut down on energy-intensive operations. QA ensures the identification of issues in the early stages, promoting sustainable practices.
Reducing Test Wastage for Resource Efficiency
A modular approach to testing can significantly contribute to energy and resource efficiency. Rather than running a vast number of tests with each update, businesses can focus on critical tests, thus reducing energy consumption and the need for additional devices.
Performance Testing for Sustainable Cloud Applications
With the increasing shift to cloud-based applications, performance testing becomes vital. By assessing CPU utilisation and energy consumption, companies can identify and address inefficiencies, leading to reduced overall wastage.
Enhancing Data Integrity for Energy Efficiency
Many organisations unknowingly retain large volumes of bad data, impacting application performance and increasing the time required for critical reports. QA practices that focus on data integrity can lead to more accurate results, reducing the carbon footprint associated with running applications.
Cloud-Based Device Testing
The transition to cloud-based applications has facilitated device testing in the cloud, eliminating the need for physical devices for testing across multiple browsers. This innovation minimises resource wastage and supports a more sustainable testing environment.
A Call to Action
As data centres globally contribute to nearly 1% of global electricity demand, and 2% of total electricity usage in the US, businesses are urged to prioritise sustainable IT practices. The strategic implementation of QA processes emerges as a powerful tool for companies to not only enhance operational efficiency but also contribute significantly to broader sustainability goals.
In conclusion, as businesses grapple with the imperative to improve sustainability, integrating QA into the heart of IT practices offers a tangible and impactful solution for a more sustainable future.
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