Just a few weeks ago, the latest figures from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) World Climate Report startled us - and rightly so: our CO2 budget is already much smaller than previously assumed, amounting to just 37 gigatons. We are rapidly running out of time to curb climate change. But, and this makes me feel positive, at the same time I see an ever stronger will in our society to do something about it. This applies not only to private individuals, but also to companies in particular. For a long time, climate protection and sustainability were not even an issue here, but today the two items are on the agenda at board level.
From my day-to-day work, I also know that we can and must turn many adjusting screws - but not all of them are immediately in our sights. Data management is one such case: we lack the awareness that with every file we store, we increase electricity consumption and thus ensure even more CO2 emissions. Companies should pay more attention to this issue and optimize their data management. That's why I was happy to accept Gregor Bieler and Aparavi's invitation to become Chairman of their Executive Board.
As a data management provider, Aparavi's solution helps companies reduce their data volumes quickly and easily. Most importantly, the solution is a high value product: The added value for companies is enormous, without them having to sacrifice anything. Because that's often the challenge with climate protection measures - they require people to make compromises. For example, people who take public transport to work give up the flexibility of their own cars. Companies that want to make their supply chains climate-neutral have to reckon with higher costs, which they can bear themselves or pass on to the end consumer. Even if the will is there in principle, such disadvantages ultimately still far too often reduce the motivation to actually do more.
I therefore believe that Aparavi offers a solution that comes at the right time: In its recent study, after all, almost two-thirds of IT managers (63 percent) confirmed that reducing their carbon footprint is a priority. As part of the board, I want to help leverage this momentum for Aparavi and support organizations in their endeavor. Sustainable data management should be part of every business strategy today, because besides the positive aspects on the environment, of course the companies themselves benefit by saving storage costs and being able to find and process their business relevant and critical data much easier. In my opinion, this gives them many reasons to take their data management seriously.
In addition to all scientific, economic or ethical-moral aspects, as a father of four children it is also important to me on a personal level to help leave a better world for the next generations. As the Executive Board of Aparavi, my colleagues and I want to drive positive change and we will certainly look with alert eyes towards Glasgow when the UN Climate Change Conference starts there at the end of October. Because: every country, every company and every single one of us has a contribution to make.