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Whether it's Pope Francis, the United Nations or Starbucks, there is an increasing concern over how to conserve the earth's natural resources. It is broadly acknowledged that sustainable development is no longer an option but a must, and if ignored, that devastating consequences could result.

The UN's 2030 Pledge for Sustainable Development aims to encourage companies to adopt sustainable practices globally. Ultimately the management of resources is most likely to be affected by government regulation and businesses will be expected to work on reducing the consumption of goods and their overall wastage.

In our increasingly connected world, the Internet of Things (IoT) has the potential to streamline the efficiency of a business while at the same time combat some of the damage that is being inflicted on the environment. By implementing IoT solutions, businesses can reduce the cost of doing business, lower their carbon emissions and wastage, and ultimately smarten their maintenance strategy. The sheer variety of networks available for businesses and the ease with which they can be customised, creates plenty of opportunities for organisations to make environmentally conscious changes.

THE PRACTICE OF SUSTAINABLE IOT
IoT technologies are already being deployed to help monitor and manage devices that can deliver sustainable practices. Examples of real-world applications include a theme park deploying a network to monitor and manage its sprinkler system to adjust its water usage based on weather reports, soil moisture levels, and other relevant factors.

In another application the environmental monitoring of data centres and IT infrastructure is combined with a weather forecast and the utility demand response systems, which help to reduce energy consumption. Drip irrigation systems that are coupled with smart sensors and a smart IoT back end system allow customised alerts and actions to create sustainable farming for water hungry crops, even during drought conditions.

IMPLEMENTING IOT
The considerations needed to deploy an IoT solution to help sustainability will be many, varied and specific, but general guidance includes:

• Ensure that the range, scale and power of the connectivity solution provided can match up with infrastructure needs. Businesses must understand what system level and regulatory certification is necessary and available. Also the expected device and product lifecycle, as well as what type of mechanical and operating ranges will be required

• Security could be the weakest link and businesses need to adopt a clear strategy to protect their data. Consider end-to-end security mechanisms within compatible devices along the chain from the sensor/actuators to backend systems. By implementing access control and authentication policies, it is only authorised individuals with specific tasks that are permitted to connect.

• Device management solutions that are scalable and efficient are essential. IoT enabled devices can be configured to deploy automatically and often come equipped with remote diagnostic capabilities, in turn reducing the need for callouts as well as the likelihood of faults from poorly integrated hardware.

BENEFIT FROM SUSTAINABLE PRACTICE
Beyond preserving resources and reducing waste, companies deploying an IoT-based sustainability solution can secure valuable real-time data and alerts. This can inform better decision-making and produce cost savings. Most companies that adopt a sustainability policy will be perceived as good corporate citizens.

Technology represents mankind's progress and it's time for businesses to utilise technology to preserve our planet in a way that was previously not possible. Thinking about 2030, an established network infrastructure that is environmentally conscious and efficient will put that business at the front of the data collection pack. Fifteen years seems far away but the UN's call to action highlights the urgency of this cause. Businesses must do everything they can to preserve the planet and use technology to help. NC