Industry voice: Two initiatives from Hewlett Packard Enterprise support public authorities in dealing with major elements of their digital transformations
Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) has introduced two important new elements to the management of public sector digital initiatives with the launch of its Circular Economy guide and Right Mix Advisor for transitions to the hybrid cloud.
The two-pronged approach combines a response to the need for environmental responsibility in deploying and recycling digital technology, and the clamour for support in developing the right mix of hybrid cloud to meet an organisation’s needs.
The ideas behind the Circular Economy are in line with Government's new Sustainable Technology strategy. Published by Defra, the strategy includes a requirement for central government departments to quantify and report on their e-waste - with the aim of reducing this to zero landfill by 2020 - alongside reporting on the energy and carbon footprints of their digital and technology services.
HPE's circular economy approach provides organisations with a tool to estimate and share the savings in carbon, energy and landfill waste that they can achieve by returning retired or end-of-use assets to HPE through its UK-based technology renewal centre.
This is a priority given that most digital hardware in large organisations is replaced every three to five years, with tens of millions of tons going into landfill every year. This is simply unsustainable on both a financial and environmental level, and requires a new way of thinking about how to deal with ageing IT in an age where new technologies such as artificial intelligence and blockchain require vast amounts of compute power. The urgency for the public sector was highlighted earlier this year when the annual Greening Government ICT report showed there had been a reversal in the previous trend to reduce the energy footprint of Whitehall departments and agencies.
Reducing e-waste
HPE is already making a significant contribution. It has the largest manufacturer refurbishing facility in the world, providing new homes for 89% of the equipment that enters, and recycling 97% of the remainder into re-usable raw materials.
Now it has developed a tool to help organisations think about how they can reduce their e-waste and contribute to the circular economy. It has produced an interactive e-book that includes the incentives to act, a study on IT mindsets and a challenge to take action.
Getting the mix right
Accompanying this initiative, meanwhile, is another that reflects continuing migration in the public sector towards cloud technologies, and the growing realisation that for most organisations the hybrid approach will best meet their needs.
HPE's Right Mix Advisor has been built from its experience of over 1,000 hybrid cloud engagements and helps organisations to explore the status quo and define the right mix of public and private cloud and, if necessary, on-premise facilities.
The process can help to deliver an actionable plan within weeks, mapping the IT estate to build a strategy that is repeatable and scalable. It uses automated discovery to scan the IT environment and identify the various dependencies; evaluates each application and identifies their suitability for specific cloud services; and then sorts the applications into waves for the migration, with the first being the easiest to move while having the biggest impact.
HPE has found that migrating the right workloads to the right mix of hybrid cloud can reduce the total cost of ownership of digital operations by up to 40%. And, of course, taking the Circular Economy approach ensures that environmental responsibility is built in at the outset.
The company is now collaborating with Microsoft on an educational Global Hybrid Roadshow, with a UK event taking place in London on 8 May. It provides an opportunity to learn how the Right Mix Advisor can help to navigate the complexities of the hybrid cloud, accelerate the move and deliver full operational and financial benefits.
These complementary initiatives provide opportunities to get to grips with two of the major elements of digital transformation: any public sector organisation that has an eye on them should be taking advantage of both.
Register for the HPE and Microsoft Global Hybrid Cloud Roadshow
Download the interactive e-book, The Circular Economy in IT
For more information on how HPE can help your organisation build a circular economy in its IT estate and get the right mix for hybrid cloud contact them here.
Meanwhile you can watch this short video on HPE's approach to the Circular Economy:
