Environmental Sustainability Management (ESM) Software for Colocation Data Centers

Environmental sustainability for data center service providers is a “top of mind” concern as tenants are demanding their suppliers to not only report on sustainability, but act in an environmentally responsible way. Pursuing sustainability will also better position these companies to comply with government regulations, attract investors, and retain employees. Software tools that report on efficiency, renewable energy supply, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, water conservation, waste recycling, and land & biodiversity are essential for visibility, target setting, and reporting. This paper will first make the case for why this type of software should be considered “the fourth pillar” of data center management for data center service providers and will go on to describe the essential functions and attributes of effective environmental sustainability management software.