When we talk about corporate sustainability, the discussion tends to focus on energy consumption, mobility, waste or the use of raw materials, while technology infrastructure often remains outside that conversation, despite supporting an increasingly large share of business activity. IT equipment, networks, cloud services, data centers, applications, storage and data processing all depend on physical and digital resources that need to be acquired, used, protected, maintained and replaced with care.

This is where sustainability in IT becomes relevant, because an efficient technology strategy depends on understanding how resources are being used, where there is room for optimization and which decisions can extend their value without compromising performance, security or business continuity. Within ORBCOM’s ESG approach, energy consumption, the use of technology resources, electronic waste management, cybersecurity, talent retention and the responsible use of emerging technologies are among the areas considered relevant to our activity.

Measure to understand where to improve

Any improvement strategy needs to start with reliable enough information to understand the current position and track progress over time. In a technology environment, this means knowing the existing infrastructure, monitoring how resources are being used and identifying areas where waste can be reduced or efficiency improved.

This visibility is particularly important at a time when organizations increasingly depend on cloud services, digital platforms and external infrastructure, making resource consumption less visible than it would be in a fully physical environment. Capacity that is no longer needed may remain active, a contracted service may continue running through inertia, and an environment created for a temporary requirement may keep consuming resources long after that requirement has disappeared.

This is why strengthening energy and environmental monitoring, as well as developing more structured internal tracking mechanisms, forms part of ORBCOM’s areas of development. The purpose of measurement should be operational: to understand where action is needed, monitor results and create better conditions for decision-making.

Use better before adding more

Technology infrastructures tend to grow as organizations evolve, as new applications are introduced, storage requirements increase, additional services are added and demand for computing capacity grows. Problems arise when this expansion happens through accumulation, leaving resources in place that no longer reflect current needs or adding new layers without reviewing what is already there.

A sustainability strategy for IT should therefore include regular reviews of the existing environment, assessing whether available capacity is still appropriate, whether there are redundant applications, whether certain services are still necessary and whether parts of the infrastructure can be optimized before further capacity is added.

This approach brings sustainability and operational efficiency closer together, because making better use of existing resources can mean lower consumption, reduced complexity, lower management costs and an infrastructure that is easier to maintain. The most sustainable decision may involve modernizing, consolidating or replacing technology, but it may equally involve keeping what continues to perform its role efficiently.

The technology lifecycle is part of the equation

Sustainable equipment management begins at the point of purchase, when efficiency, durability, performance, security and maintainability should be considered alongside technical specifications. In a fast-moving sector, technology renewal is inevitable, particularly as software, security and performance requirements evolve, but replacing a device in a specific role does not necessarily mean that its useful life has ended.

At ORBCOM, this principle has already translated into practical action. Equipment that no longer met internal requirements but remained fully usable was donated to the School of Technology and Management of Lamego,allowing its lifecycle to be extended and giving it a new purpose in an academic environment.

It is a straightforward application of circular economy principles to technology, because it introduces an important question before disposal: is there still value that can be used elsewhere? When the answer is yes, reuse helps extend the value of a resource that has already been produced and delays the generation of additional electronic waste

When reuse is no longer possible, attention shifts to the appropriate disposal of equipment and to increasingly rigorous management of electronic waste, an area that becomes more important as digitalization increases the number of devices used across organizations.

Technology sustainability also means resilience

The sustainability of a technology-driven organization is also connected to its ability to keep operations available, secure and under control over time. This is why cybersecurity, data protection and business continuity are among the material topics identified by ORBCOM, reflecting the impact these areas have on customer trust, regulatory compliance and the continuity of operations.

A well-sized infrastructure quickly loses value if it is exposed to disruption, data loss or security incidents that require systems to be restored and additional resources to be mobilized. System updates, access management, backups, monitoring and preventive controls therefore contribute to greater operational resilience and to a more responsible use of technology resources.

This connection becomes increasingly important as critical business processes depend more heavily on digital systems, external services and interconnected technology supply chains. Sustainability in IT also depends on managing that reliance securely.

Artificial Intelligence raises the bar

The rapid adoption of Artificial Intelligence adds another dimension to this discussion, as it increases the technological capabilities available to organizations while also creating a greater need for discipline around data, infrastructure, security and governance.

The responsible use of AI is among the topics considered relevant within ORBCOM’s ESG analysis, including issues related to ethics, transparency, bias mitigation and the continued development of technology governance mechanisms.

At a time when new tools can be implemented faster than ever, it becomes increasingly important to understand the problem being solved, the data that will be used, the resources that will be required and the mechanisms that will be used to monitor results. Faster technology adoption increases the need for judgment, because adding capability without a clear purpose can also mean adding consumption, complexity and risk without a proportional benefit.

Sustainable technology is well-managed technology

Sustainability in IT ultimately depends on the quality of the decisions made throughout the technology lifecycle, from equipment acquisition and use to infrastructure management, information security, skills development and the adoption of new technologies.

Understanding existing resources, monitoring how they are used, extending lifecycles where value remains, reusing equipment, reducing redundancy, protecting systems and regularly reviewing what still makes sense are all part of the day-to-day management of technology and, together, determine how an organization uses its resources over time.

As Portugal marks National Sustainability Day,this is a discussion worth bringing into IT as well, with one practical question in mind: do we understand our technology resources well enough to know where we can become more efficient?

Because making technology more sustainable starts with how we manage it.