Signing off for 2012 with a thought

Again, my thoughts go back to that week long experience with no power after Hurricane Sandy. The New York/New Jersey area has recovered significantly, but there are still lingering questions on how/if the hardest hit areas will ever be the same. I can’t help to feel that climate change has lent a hand in making the storm more powerful. There are quite of few references to the storm coming at high tide, and also with a full moon which helped create such a high storm surge. However, if a warm ocean is the engine of these storms, then having a warmer ocean can only help produce more powerful storms. So how does this matter to a telecommunications company? Power is a considerable cost consideration in a telecommunications network and in the data centers we all run. We simply have to take more active measures on how to better design both the network and the data centers to do more work with less power.

A lot of companies have really done many things to be more environmentally sensitive, but are we doing enough? Instead of just doing the items to help save money or improve a cost structure, we should be taking this to the next level and actually making it an investment area for businesses around the world . Should we be looking to not only implement the ideas that can be justified in a business case, but also working new ideas that cannot be entirely justified out of future savings. That will not only be good for both the company and it’s bottom line, but also good for the environment. We have an obligation to leave this world to subsequent generations in at least the same condition that we got to enjoy. We have to take more active steps to promote a more sustainable environment or continue to pay what will be an exceedingly higher price over time caused by these more frequent “super” storms.

Happy holidays and best wishes for a prosperous and happy new year!