How managed services can help you achieve the 'E' in 'ESG'

You only need to look around to see that sustainability is on everyone's mind.

• 70% of Australian adults say it is important to them to "protect biodiversity and take actions to help nature thrive."¹
• Climate change and environmental impact is cited as a top concern for individuals and businesses across all industries.²
• The Australian Government has drafted legislation to introduce mandatory climate-related reporting for companies from 2024/2025.³

As ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) increasingly becomes a leading criteria to assess businesses by, every organisation across every sector is being called to step up their sustainability efforts.

To thrive in a future where taking action on sustainability is a central determinant of organisational success, it's important that you not only assess your organisation's sustainability efforts with a critical eye—but apply the same level of assessment to your partners and suppliers.

Organisations engage managed service providers for a number of reasons—to have access to skills not available in-house, to increase operational efficiency, and to free up internal resources to focus on core business demands. Another reason companies enlist the support of a managed service provider is to support their hybrid/remote work arrangements, which have largely been adopted as a means of reducing their costs and carbon footprint.

However, if sustainability is one of the factors driving you to consider managed services, it's important to recognise that outsourcing your IT management doesn't necessarily mean an instant check in the sustainability box.

A managed service provider who understands the importance of corporate responsibility will not only actively pursue their company's own sustainability objectives, but they'll also be a powerful force in helping you achieve yours.

So how do you know if your managed service provider is truly helping you to achieve your sustainability targets? Here are the questions you should be asking:

Five questions to benchmark whether your MSP is helping or hindering your sustainability success.

1. Do they support you across the full asset lifecycle?
   A responsible managed service agreement provider delivers support across the full lifecycle of your IT assets. Importantly, they will provide ethical end-of-life management for your devices, taking care of the recycling and repurposing of assets, and the responsible disposal of e-waste (depending on the most suitable approach for the circumstances).
2. Do they have circular IT processes that give back to the community?
   Sustainability-minded providers will also have activities in place to support the circular economy. This means having social partnerships and initiatives in place that involve donating retired IT assets to individuals and communities who need them most.
3. How strong is their strategic sustainability plan?
   A good MSA provider is aware of their own impacts of the environment and should be able to provide their client with the peace of mind that sustainability and environmental impact is at the forefront of their priorities.
4. Do they have evidence to back their claims?
   The best intentions don't mean a thing without action. Your managed service provider should be able to demonstrate the tangible actions they are taking to meet strategic sustainability targets.
5. Do they help you track the environmental impacts of your technology stack?
   MSA providers help you reduce your organisation's need to manage and own your on-site infrastructure. By nature, this minimises the energy your organisation would need to power your IT environment.
   However, a truly invested MSA partner will provide you with insights on how your tech stacks up to your ESG goals and offer proactive advice on how you can optimise your environment to achieve your objectives.

Truis managed services for sustainable success

At Truis, we're committed to providing an IT experience that not only benefits business but also has a positive impact on the world and the people in it.

As a managed service partner to organisations and enterprises across Australia, we are proud of the fact that our customers count on us—to pursue sustainability as an organisational imperative and be there to help them pursue theirs.

Here's just some of the ways we're taking environmental action:

• Supporting the circular economy by partnering with a number of social enterprises and initiatives that repurpose retired IT assets.
• Ensuring the responsible disposal of any IT assets that require destruction. Implementing strategies to monitor and reduce our carbon footprint.
• Providing our managed service clients with transparency on the energy efficiency and carbon footprint of their technology stack.

For more details, see our sustainability strategy.

If you're interested in learning more about how our managed service capabilities can help you achieve your organisation's sustainability goals, get in touch.

¹ TBWA Disruption Index Proprietary Research Q1 2024
² Australian Government Business Trends for 2024
³ Department of Finance Commonwealth Climate Disclosure