Elevate your digital transformation with impactful sustainability

Today, IT leaders are tasked with finding solutions that meet at the intersection of business growth and environmental responsibility. Customer sentiment, evolving corporate values, and government regulation have converged to make sustainability a strategic priority for nearly every business. And the importance of energy efficiency for enterprise IT cannot be overstated. The Equinix Global Tech Trends Survey found that 71% of global IT decision-makers agree that sustainability strategy and practices are critical to the longevity of their business, and 65% said their companies would only work with IT partners who can prove they meet key carbon-reduction targets. These priorities are concretely influencing IT buying decisions: According to a global survey by Enterprise Strategy Group, 98% of IT decision-makers report that IT suppliers’ environmental, social, and governance (ESG) programs influence their IT purchasing decisions, and 85% have eliminated a potential technology supplier due to ESG concerns.[1]

Preparing for long-term sustainability has become a fundamental part of future-proofing your organization. With the paradigm shift from the on-premises data center to a decentralized edge infrastructure, companies are on a journey to build more flexible, scalable, distributed IT architectures, and they need experienced technology partners to support the transition. The great news is that technological progress and sustainability can go hand in hand—and joint solutions from industry leaders like Equinix and Dell Technologies are helping organizations accelerate their digital transformation and business growth, sustainably.

Equinix and Dell Technologies have a longstanding partnership built around solving the real challenges modern companies face—from infrastructure performance to costs, security, and speed of deployment. And we’re committed to helping customers meet their energy-efficiency targets too. Equinix and Dell are working together to deliver joint technology solutions that accelerate customers’ digital transformations, and we’re doing so sustainably to point to a brighter future.

Equinix and Dell Technologies: Advancing sustainability together

When you partner with Equinix and Dell, you have access to industry-leading technology and deep commitments to creating more energy-efficient IT solutions. The combination of Dell Technologies essential infrastructure and Platform Equinix enables you to achieve your digital transformation and sustainability goals side by side.

Let’s take a look at what Dell and Equinix are doing to support customers’ sustainability journeys.

Dell’s sustainability commitments

At Dell, advancing sustainability is at the core of everything it does, with strong goals and commitments, including:[2]

• Climate action: By 2050, Dell will reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across Scopes 1, 2, and 3. It will source 75% of electricity from renewable sources across all Dell Technologies facilities by 2030—and 100% by 2040.
• Circular economy: By 2030, for every metric ton of products a customer buys, one metric ton will be reused or recycled, 100% of Dell packaging will be made from recycled or renewable material, or will utilize reused packaging, and more than half of its product content will be made from recycled, renewable or reduced carbon emissions material.
• Partner Code of Conduct: Dell is also making sure its partners demonstrate a commitment to its environment, social, and governance (ESG) values, and by 2030, 100% of Dell partners must comply with its Partner Code of Conduct, which includes observing sustainable business practices.

When it comes to infrastructure solutions, Dell offers a range of energy-efficient hardware options to help you build the most efficient infrastructure you can. For example, one new Dell PowerEdge server can do the work of up to five previous-generation servers,[3] and its PowerStore storage solution is up to 60% more energy efficient than its previous version with its new ENERGY STAR certification.[4] In addition, Dell APEX solutions help reduce overprovisioning, energy usage, and e-waste.[5]

When you deploy Dell infrastructure in Equinix data centers, you not only dynamically connect to key ecosystem partners around the world; you can also multiply your sustainability benefits. Dell partners with Equinix to give enterprises the flexibility to deploy private IT infrastructure in locations where users, clouds, networks, and digital ecosystems physically meet—and where proactive sustainability strategy is a core value.

Future-first sustainability at Equinix

At Equinix, we have a robust set of ESG commitments aimed at helping our company as well as our customers and partners move forward into a more sustainable future. Equinix environmental commitments include:

• Climate action: Equinix data centers’ electricity consumption is covered by 96% renewables globally as of 2022, and we’re targeting 100% clean and renewable energy coverage across our global portfolio by 2030.
• Data center of the future: We’re actively working to leverage technology and innovation to design data centers that reduce resource consumption. This includes the use of high-density air and liquid cooling solutions, incorporating data center heat recovery where possible, and committing to optimizing data center temperatures for operational efficiency.
• Green Power Reports: We also help customers understand the climate impact of their infrastructure within our facilities and support their supply-chain emissions reporting needs through custom Green Power Reports that identify renewable coverage and emissions associated with their deployments.

Collaborating to accelerate your digital transformation, sustainably

Equinix and Dell Technologies are industry leaders—not only in the data center and enterprise infrastructure space but also across ESG initiatives. Both companies have decades of experience providing IT solutions that help businesses achieve their goals, and today that includes sustainability. Our joint solutions are designed to optimize your digital transformation journey and drive sustainable outcomes.

Next-generation digital transformation will undeniably empower companies to propel both growth and sustainability through the use of technology. By deploying Dell architecture within Equinix data centers, you can take advantage of:

• World-class Dell essential infrastructure deployed next to all the leading network, cloud, and IT service providers within Equinix, optimizing the performance, security, flexibility, and choice today’s distributed IT architectures require
• Flexible and more efficient ways to consume these joint solutions such as Equinix Metal® and the Dell APEX as-a-Service portfolio, along with innovative new offerings being developed by our mutual partners
• High-speed interconnection services via Equinix Fabric® to dynamically and securely connect you to industry-leading cloud and network providers
• Cloud-adjacent infrastructure, to help you maximize agility with cloud capacity on demand
• An intelligent edge, where you can apply AI, ML, and analytics where the data already is
• A large global footprint of Equinix IBX® data centers covered by 100% renewables[6] so you can sustainably put essential infrastructure where you most need it: at the digital edge

Dell and Equinix share a mission of empowering enterprises to drive growth through technology. Our joint solutions are designed to make your life easier, giving you the flexibility, choice, and scalability you need, along with streamlined costs, faster deployments, and greater sustainability through optimized energy consumption and renewables coverage.

Whether you’re focused on digital transformation broadly, specific projects like cyber-resiliency and disaster recovery, or implementing next-generation tech such as AI, automation, digital twins, and the metaverse, Equinix and Dell can help. And here’s the icing on the cake: You’ll be in the best place to support your sustainability strategy too.

Learn more about sustainability with Equinix and Dell Technologies by downloading our sustainability solution brief.

^{[1] Enterprise Strategy Group, The Role of ESG Programs in IT Decision Making, 2022.
[2] Dell Technologies, Advancing Sustainability.
[3] Based on calculations using Schneider Electric’s Data Center PUE Calculator assuming a range of 1.4-1.6 PUE.
[4] Based on Dell analysis comparing maximum IOPS per Watt for PowerStore 1200 base appliance configurations with PowerStoreOS 3.0 vs. PowerStore 1000 base appliance configuration with PowerStoreOS 2.0. Actual results vary.
[5] Varun Chhabra, Moving Sustainability Forward with Dell APEX, November 18, 2022.
[6] Sites covered by 100% renewables are listed on our Map of Initiatives.}

About the Author: Jim Steinbauer