The need for sustainable data management

Barry Cashman at Veritas Technologies argues that tackling the carbon footprint of dormant accounts requires urgent action

 

As data demands continue to soar, so does the energy consumption of data centres, intensifying their carbon footprint.

 

Attempts are being made to harness the heat emissions generated by data centres and use it to heat public swimming pools or student accommodation for example, but this is not yet fully addressing the need to substantially reduce data centre emissions.

 

Urgent action is required to develop sustainable data management practices and reduce overall data centre carbon emissions from escalating and reaching the projected level of contributing at least 10% of global emissions by 2050. 

 

Analysts predict that by 2025 there will be around 91ZB of data being held unnecessarily - that is over four times today’s volume.  On an average basis, a significant portion of the data stored by organisations, approximately 85%, is deemed non-essential for their business operations.

 

This excessive utilisation of data centre capacity has a direct negative impact on the environment so it’s important that companies get to grips with their data management.

 

According to Veritas research the power it takes to store data wastes up to 6.4m tons of carbon dioxide each year. Gen Z is the worst offender when it comes to data hoarding with 63% admitting to having unused accounts. This percentage is higher than any other age group in the UK. The alarming data hoarding habits of this generation are resulting in unnecessary data storage in polluting data centres run on fossil-fuels 24/7.

 

Data centres are responsible for emitting approximately 1 to 2% of the world’s total carbon emissions, equivalent to the environmental impact of the airline industry.

 

The growing awareness of the environmental impact of data hoarding and the increasing energy consumption of data centres has prompted major tech companies like Google and Twitter to take action. Google has recently sought to address the issue of dormant online accounts and to automatically delete inactive accounts after two years. 

 

This move by industry leaders underscores the growing concern over the environmental consequences of data hoarding and the need for proactive measures to reduce unnecessary data storage. By taking steps to address the issue at a systemic level, Google sets an example for other companies and reinforces the importance of responsible data management for both the planet and cyber-security reasons.

 

Following Google’s announcement, Twitter also announced plans in May to remove dormant accounts that have been inactive for several years in an effort to free up abandoned usernames. Twitter’s policy on inactive accounts previously required logging in every six months, but it was changed to 30 days in the most recent version.

 

Maintaining dormant accounts without regular monitoring leaves them vulnerable to unauthorised access and potential ransomware attacks, as individuals may not notice suspicious activities or changes in their account status. Overall, hoarding data and neglecting to deactivate or secure dormant online accounts significantly heightens the risk of privacy breaches, data leaks, and financial losses.

 

It is vital for individuals to practice responsible data management, including deleting unnecessary accounts and regularly reviewing security measures to protect their personal information from potential threats.

 

Even bank account owners have recently started becoming concerned about their accounts becoming classified as dormant after a government announcement that funds worth £800mn in dormant accounts would be used to boost local communities in England.

 

For IT managers who are thinking of having a spring clean of their company’s online presence, here are three tips on how to improve data house-keeping practices:

1. Conduct a thorough account audit: Start by making a comprehensive list of all the online accounts and subscriptions the company currently possess. This should include social media platforms, online shopping websites, email services, and any other websites or apps that require user accounts. Take note of the ones employees haven’t used in a while or don’t remember signing up for.
2. Ask employees to check email inboxes for account registrations: They should search their email inbox for keywords such as "account," "registration," or "welcome" to identify emails from online platforms where they may have created accounts. They should then review these emails to determine which accounts are still active and which ones can be considered dormant.
3. Utilise account deletion or deactivation options: Advise employees who have identified dormant accounts to visit the respective websites or platforms and explore their account settings. They should look for options to delete or deactivate accounts. Some platforms may have specific account deletion procedures, such as providing a confirmation email or completing a form. Follow the necessary steps to delete or deactivate the dormant accounts, ensuring the correct compliance with each platform’s guidelines and requirements.

It is essential that individuals and companies actively manage their digital footprint and take steps to reduce unnecessary data storage to improve business resiliency. With carbon emissions from data projected to rise significantly, urgent action is needed to ensure sustainable data management practices are adopted. 

 

Conducting thorough account audits and flagging deletion options for unused accounts can help individuals and organisations effectively manage their online presence and contribute to a greener digital future.

 

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Barry Cashman is RVP UK&I at Veritas Technologies

 

Main image courtesy of iStockPhoto.com