Category Archives: Business

5 Ways on How To Prepare Your Business For Natural Disasters

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Natural disasters like tornadoes, hurricanes, typhoons, and floods come with a lot of collateral damage which affects homes and infrastructure. They also affect our businesses, which are sources of livelihood for many.

Imagine building your enterprise from the ground up, only for it to be dissipated in hours or seconds by the freaks of nature! So how can you prepare your business to weather the storm in the face of a sudden natural disaster? Here’s my ‘Hitchhiker’s guide’ to business disaster preparedness.

natural-disaster

1. Safety Protocols

All lives matter, human resource is the backbone of any business. So having Standard Operating-Procedures(S0Ps) for disaster preparedness can mitigate any occupational risks during such times.

Simulating disaster drills can also go a long way in disaster preparedness if employees know emergency exits and evacuation protocols. Keeping a well-equipped disaster kit is commended too, and it should come complete with survival supplies for at least 3 days.

2. Data Backup

Yes backups are quite the norm now. But having a ‘backup’ of your backup is advisable. Having an extra digital location where your most sensitive documents, emails as well as digital records and databases are stored.

This can allow you to switch to a ‘virtual business’ till the dust settles and enable you to work and deliver remotely. It gives your business a much needed lifeline as virtual records can help in the rebuilding process a lot. Be sure that your backups are done frequently and can be automated.

3. Insurance Cover

Get yourself flood insurance if your geographic code is prone to weather disasters. The average flood insurance policy costs about $800 and most Insurance companies now offer business interruption policies, property as well as disaster packages at good premiums.

Statistics show that 2 in 5 businesses open after natural disaster. So, to help alleviate the hustles of reopening, insurance could come in handy. I’d advise you take time to meet your insurance agent to ponder over business insurance covers.

4. Infrastructure Precautions

Considering the barrage of destruction Hurricane Harvey brought on the Texas Gulf-Coast causing property damage of up to $80bn, certain measures and precautions can’t be ignored. This is especially so when it comes to the resilience and structural safety of your work premise. Be sure to do a structural audit on your location and assess any possibilities of vulnerability.

Do take time to verify that your business location meets specified building codes. Also surely endeavor to test and service the premise emergency generator under load. If weather disaster strikes, do make an effort to use protective material such as plywood to seal off windows. You can also secure first floor doorways with sandbags while relocating your most sensitive office equipment to innermost portions of the building.

5. Emergency Savings

An Indian friend told me once “In India we save for a rainy day, because it basically rains every day”. That could explain why many Asians are good at saving because they understand that nature can’t be negotiated with.

As a rule of thumb, it’s advisable for businesses to save 20% of their profit per month into an ‘Emergency Trust’. On top of the insurance monies or low interest loans from the Office of Disaster-Assistance, this money can reduce the burden of loss of assets on your business.

We saw the adverse effects of Hurricane Katrina on employment and the New Orleans economy, they can still be felt 13 years later. Bad news never has good timing and at times one can never be too prepared. However, if you take the above precautions chances of salvaging your business are way better.

Sustainable Environment in Singapore: An Attraction for Investors

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In addition to a robust economy, Singapore’s sustainable environment is another leading factor that has attracted numerous investors. Most cities in the world have failed to address environmental issues brought about by urbanization. Towns or urban areas cover over 2% of the Earth’s surface; they are responsible for about 80% of the greenhouse gases emitted while using up almost 75% of nature’s resources.

sustainable-Singapore

However, a host of countries in Southeast Asia are leading the way to change this contrary notion about cities and urban regions. Research conducted by several world-leading environmental bodies and institutions determined that Singapore is indeed one of the most environmentally sustainable nations.

Singapore’s first prime minister kickstarted the dream of making Singapore a green city. His main agenda was to make Singapore stand out from the rest of the Asian countries and also attract investors from all over the world. The first step undertaken to achieve this dream was the eradication of the houseboats and overcrowded slums along the banks of Singapore River.

Singapore is offering entrepreneurs moving to the country a platform to incorporate their businesses in Singapore. This allows them to run their firms within the stipulated terms while also receive the government’s backing.

On the world’s Environmental Performance Ranking, Yale University and the U.N place Singapore at seventeenth globally and first position in Asia. Contrary to popular belief, Singapore’s efforts and strict green technology guidelines, which were set and backed up by the government, helped in making it an eco-friendly city.

So how exactly does Singapore afford to provide suitable surroundings perfect for its citizens and also attract investors and entrepreneurs from overseas?

Government Support

As discussed before, adoption of green technology is one of the leading things that has made Singapore an eco-friendly city. Singapore has been able to morph into a modernized city-state without having a negative impact on nature.

The Singapore government’s Cleantech division, which is a subsidiary of the board tasked with economic growth, has offered continued support to companies in the clean technology business. This has led to the business sector growing tremendously in areas such as renewable energy, water conservation, green buildings, green cleaning products etc.

Growing ICT Center

Companies such as Hewlett Packard (HP) and International Business Machines Corporation have partnered with the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources. The main idea behind these partnerships is to ensure that Singapore’s ICT industry thrives. HP, for example, has been tasked with designing and manufacturing energy efficient systems that will cut power costs while still providing a working platform for businesses.

There is no shortage of green spaces in Singapore

Low Energy Costs and Environmental Remedies

Accommodating over 7000 companies from different nations across the globe is no mean feat. As such, Singapore’s government and other agencies know that a green environment is not the only requirement to attract more investors.

Through an alliance known as the Singapore Sustainability Alliance, an umbrella consisting of government groups, non-governmental organizations, and teaching institutions, Singapore has been able to come up with policies that create a sustainable environment. Other than this, the alliance has overseen the adoption of systems that include proper water use, renewable energy, energy efficiency, waste management, etc. which have significantly improved business growth.

6 Top Renewable Energy Companies Helping to Tackle Climate Change

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Clean, clean, and increasingly competitive energy sources are renewable energies. They are most diverse, abundant, and usable in every area of the world, but above all, because they neither create greenhouse gas, cause climate change, nor emit harmful emissions. They do not produce greenhouse gases.

In addition, their costs decrease, whereas the average trend in fossil fuel costs, notwithstanding its current volatility, is in the other direction. One of the most important problems of today’s world is the transfer to renewable energy. According to the IEA, energy has to be decarbonized four times quicker than previously to cut emissions substantially by 2040.

More international firms are using sustainable practice as they begin to recognize that the climate problem is affecting them most significantly.

Top Renewable Energy Companies

The damaging emissions that our current fossil fuel energy sources generate will only continue to rise without any attempt to rely on renewable energy sources – clean, emission-free, and naturally replenished sources. Reducing these emissions is essential if carbon levels are to be reduced and climate change consequences reduced.

Huge advancement in environmentally-friendly power development requires an interest in the organizations that foster these advances, which range from sun-oriented and wind capacity to hydropower, biofuels, and geothermal energy.

electrical-engineering

Here is the list of top renewable energy companies from across the world:

1. Tbhawt

Tbhawt Manufacturing OÜ is an Estonia-based wind turbine manufacturing company that projects and develops microgrids. A microgrid is a small self-balancing energy system that can be disconnected from main power lines to operate autonomously and further be reconnected back to them.

Microgrids usually involve different types of energy generation such as solar panels, small and large wind turbines, heating units, etc. Nikolai Grebenkine, the Project Coordinator at Tbhawt Manufacturing OÜ, comments, “At Tbhawt, we pay attention to environmental safety and will do our best to help reduce carbon dioxide emissions in wind turbine production.

Subsequently, we will cut down our product’s carbon footprint. We also apply the best technologies on all stages of operation and production, excluding the risk of failures or scams due to human error.”

2. Kohl’s

Each year since 2009, in its annual Green Power Partnership Top 30 Retail rating, EPA has therefore ranked Kohl’s department stores as the country’s leading green retailer. 1.001 of its 1,160 stores in 49 countries are certified to Energy Star, and the company reports that 163 sites have solar panels on-site.

Kohl’s is dedicated to this sustainable, renewable resource. To that aim, the technological development of solar energy continues to make it more efficient than renewables.

The business has been buckling down on carbon-impartial activities, and it was the principal US store related to EPA to set up a carbon-unbiased target. It accomplished the 2010–2014 Net Null Emission Object and was poised to accomplish it again in 2015.

3. CropEnergies

CropEnergies has its headquarters in Mannheim, Germany, and is a prominent ethanol and other biofuels producer that is “renewable” since they derive from maize or different vegetable life. They don’t have the same “clear” rating as the wind or solar rating as the ethanol burns in cars but burns considerably cleaner than fossil fuels.

The renewable energy firm produces bioethanol from sustainable raw materials and raw ethanol from wheat, maize, barley, triticale, and syrup10. CropEnergies has manufacturing sites in Belgium, the United Kingdom, and France, with a combined capacity of 1.3 million cubic meters of bioenergy.

bioethanol india

4. First Solar Inc

First Solar, Inc. is a solar panel manufacturer in the United States, as well as a provider of PV power plants and related services such as financing, installation, maintenance, and recycling of used panels.

First Solar (FSLR) is a business that produces solar energy. It develops and produces photovoltaic solar power systems and modules. The firm manufactures solar modules that turn sunlight into power using thin-film semiconductor technology. First, Solar services consumers all around the world.

First Solar delivers leading eco-efficient photovoltaic systems in the market that generate less environmental effect at a reasonable cost. First Solar realizes that water scarcity affects millions of people. That is why, since 2009, we have lowered our per-watt production of water by over 30%. Contrary to traditional sources of energy and CSPs, while operating the first solar modules, water is not required to produce electricity.

5. Electrobras

Electrobras is the largest electric corporation in Latin America and one of the world’s largest enterprises, with its headquarters in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 12 This creates a large quantity of low carbon power consumption, with 92 percent of its energy produced by low carbon emissions.

Its main power form is hydropower, which provides over 45,000 MW of overall production. 13. The firm runs interconnecting systems across South America in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Venezuela. Brazil’s leading electric transmission business with approximately half of the country’s basic network in high and high-voltage transmission lines.

decarbonize global energy system

6. Hanergy Thin Film Power Group

This flexible power company with its headquarters in Beijing is famous for its technology: thin-film power. This technique is in the field of solar energy, with the production of thin-film solar cells putting ultra-thin PV film layers on plastic or metal.

Since 2009, Hanergy has used this technology for solar panels. It was a hydroelectric firm previously. 15. Its extremely elastic thin and lighted panels may be employed in a number of ways, including in automobiles, aircraft, and farming. In fact, Hanergy cooperated with Tesla Motors in various locations in China to build photovoltaic overload stations.

Conclusion

These company titans show remarkable leadership in combating the climate problem. They carry the burden of inexpensive, clean energy for our lives and economies. Too frequently, doubt and pessimism struck the area of renewable energy, and its expansion in certain nations halted as a result of unfavorable government policies.

But such enterprises illustrate how renewable energy may help preserve the world, both profitably and sustainably. They will play a major part in the creation of a new energy economy, together with many other emerging firms.

Is Investing In Renewable Energy A Smart Business Move?

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With the rise of the global population, energy consumption needs are also increasing. Despite being the major supplier for energy consumption, the demand for fossil fuel is in decline and consumption fell by 9% in 2020. It will continue to decline as new electricity consumers seek more sustainability.

Because of its increased availability, renewable energy will continue to rise in popularity. Its contribution  to electricity generation is expected to increase in the years to come.  Also, now that the depletion of the world’s fossil fuels is increasingly becoming a reality, there is a much greater drive to switch to renewable energy sources. This heightened motivation could very well be what will start the process of reversing the damage from fossil fuel energy generation. As people become more environmentally conscious, the demand for renewable energy will significantly be different in the years ahead.

top universities to study renewable energy

Can you grow a business from renewable energy?

The influence of renewable energy now is different from when it was first introduced commercially in 1927. A lot of consumers nowadays have shown interest in the technologies that could provide green energy. Because of the constant environmental disturbances the world faces, people force themselves to practice more environmentally conscious activities.

This new mindset shaped the way they purchase new products to implement sustainability into their lifestyle. A lot of consumers would now be more willing to buy and support entrepreneurs that sell eco-friendly technology that produces green energy than support fossil fuel electricity generation.

Becoming a renewable energy entrepreneur

There are more ways to become a renewable energy-focused entrepreneur than just selling solar panels. There are choices to provide either product or service to your customers. While you can certainly profit a lot by being a provider of affordable renewable energy solutions for other businesses, that might not be where your forte lies.

green-entrepreneurship

Fortunately, you can still market your preferred goods and services as a renewable energy entrepreneur if you do so on a business platform that runs primarily on renewable energy. If you put your green efforts front and center, your client base will know that they are supporting a business that cares about the planet. As long as you’re not overselling it, this can serve as excellent PR.

For good measure, seek out green e-certified suppliers to verify that you’re getting your stock through sustainable means. When starting a business, always make sure that you partner with reputable suppliers, and don’t neglect employee care. Make sure your staff have benefits and that they’re covered by workers comp insurance, especially if your business is in the service industry.

A business plan made from these points helps the future entrepreneur manage the path the business will take in the future. It would not do to be so environmentally conscious and skimp out on your employees’ welfare.

How renewable energy can pave the way to success?

As previously mentioned, renewable energy is becoming increasingly popular. Thus, businesses that put emphasis on using renewable energy, in any of its forms, already have an edge over those who don’t. But the advantages run deeper than that.

Mainly, if done right and you play around the current limitations of renewable energy well, you can shave a substantial amount off of your utility bills. Less overhead means more funds to invest, and that means faster growth.

how to start a career in renewable energy

In the long term, going renewable prepares you for the inevitable time when oil prices skyrocket due to diminishing reserves. You’d essentially be future-proofing your business, while putting it in the good graces of your clientele at the same time.

Investing in renewable power is one of the biggest favors you can do for your business in this transitional time. It essentially lets you in on the ground floor of the green revolution. Aside from its aforementioned benefits, this also allows you to fulfill a moral duty to the earth.

The Pros and Cons of Student Business

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Many associate college years with fun and carelessness, but this is not entirely true. Most students combine study with work. For some, the main motivation is the lack of money. Others seek to gain practical experience in a future profession and develop soft skills. But there are also those who think about starting their own business.

There are many business ideas for students, so everyone will find something for themselves. However, this path may be quite challenging. In this article, we explore why running a business is exciting and demanding at the same time.

Benefits of Student Business

More and more students decide not to be traditional employees, so they choose an alternative and take the risk of starting their company. With proper planning and a correct strategy, you can greatly improve your life. Of course, the advantages of being your own boss are obvious to those who are not afraid to take responsibility and make serious decisions.

pros and cons of student business

1. Motivation

When working for hire, some of us carry out duties without much enthusiasm. However, when we work for ourselves, everything is different. After all, the effectiveness of the results (and therefore the profit) depends only on us. This teaches us concentration and productivity.

Here, there is no boss who will evaluate your work and decide about bonuses. You are completely focused on your efforts, customers, and their feedback. And new orders are the best reward.

Of course, when expanding your client base, you can forget about some of the school chores. In that case, it’s best to turn to PaperWriter and ask professionals for help. While they complete your assignments, you can concentrate on tasks that have paramount importance.

2. Burnout Prevention

Choosing a niche that you adore, you turn your hobby into a way of earning money. This allows you to do the job well and enjoy the workflow. No chief’s instructions, no orders, no comments from the colleagues – just you and something you truly love.

3. Self-Improvement

Working for yourself upgrades a ton of skills. Running your business, you test all of your values and rules. You will certainly gain insights into how determined, creative and hardworking you are. You will see whether you’ve got faith in yourself and trust in others. All this will help you see your strengths and growth zones. In addition, youtube vanced will give you uninterrupted access to self-improvement videos on the YouTube.

4. Flexible Working Hours

Did you catch a cold? Or is there an urgent matter you need to settle down? You no longer need to ask your boss whether you can go home earlier. With your own business, you organize your day yourself.

But still, a flexible schedule does not mean a lot of free time. Students who run their businesses often struggle to finish their papers before deadlines because of loads of work duties. Luckily, it’s easy to find essay writing services on Essay-Reviews.com these days. Delegating and outsourcing is surely an amazing way to manage it all.

5. Being A Big Boss

When working for someone, you deal with superiors and employees that you may not like. However, when you run your business, there’s no need to interfere with someone you don’t trust. You define your environment, make decisions independently and autonomously. And most importantly, don’t depend on anyone.

6. Freedom

All companies have established rules for staff: dress code, lunchtime, schedule, job responsibilities, a certain hierarchy. Working for yourself eliminates the presence of frameworks and restrictions. Of course, you still have responsibilities, but you assume them the way you want to.

Drawbacks of Running Your Own Business

Unfortunately, every medal has two sides. Running your own business also has as many drawbacks as pluses.

1. Business is Time-Consuming

No matter how perfectly the business process is organized, it will take a lot of time. If you are just starting your company and the number of employees is not big, then the main job will be entrusted to you.

You literally have to work day and night to get your business running. And even when you’ve got a regular income, don’t relax yet. You need to monitor the company’s performance and motivate employees.

2. Great Responsibility

As a business owner, you are responsible for the entire system that includes other people, material resources, and financial flows. Previously, you could blame your boss, colleagues, or other factors for something. However, now the responsibility for all the failures is on you.

student business

3. Struggle

Competition is something you have to keep in mind 24/7.  How can we be better than competitors? What are market trends? What do financial analytics say? How can we reach our clients and stay closer to them? All these questions become key to any businessman.

4. Expenses

Any business requires investments, and most likely, there will be no profit for a while. Even outstanding projects break even during the first four months.

Financial instability scares many young entrepreneurs. After all, what generates income today may bring a loss tomorrow (especially during a pandemic). For your student loan, you might want to consider getting lower monthly payments through student loan refinancing. Here is a guide on refinancing student loans with a cosigner.

5. No Guarantees

Will the business be successful? Even if you have attracted millions of investments, have developed an excellent strategy, there is still no 100% guarantee that your work will generate a steady income. This is the greatest risk.

6. Constant Tension

Any young entrepreneur is regularly stressed out because of endless duties and worries. Businessmen’s income is probably never stable as it depends on many factors. So, it’s rarely possible to fully relax and forget about all the rush. Also, if necessary, entrepreneurs have to spend their savings to pay unforeseen fines or other expenses.

To Sum Up

The main student problem of all times has always been a lack of money. In the modern world, everything has changed. Today, undergraduates can start a business legally and without even leaving home.

Basically, everything that generates income can be considered a business for a student, but the best field is probably the one that brings you joy. Now that you’ve learned about the pros and cons, you can evaluate risks and benefits yourself. So, is student business worth it?

As it was mentioned earlier, starting your business requires certain skills, including the ability to make non-standard decisions and react quickly to change. If this does not scare you, then why not?

Eco-Friendly Invoicing: How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint and Streamline Business Operations

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Did you know that there’s an eco-friendly way to go about invoicing for your business? When you switch to an electronic or digital system, you can significantly decrease your carbon footprint and the impact that you have on this planet.

E-invoicing is every business’s answer to greener accounting and administration.

Environmental Benefits of Ecofriendly Invoicing System

What is E-Invoicing?

Some people call it e-invoicing, others call it digital or online invoicing. Whatever name it’s given, it means taking your entire invoicing system and making it paperless. Instead of using a traditional invoice book and handwriting your invoices, or even using a computer and then printing them out, you keep all your invoicing on your computer and online.

From creating the invoice to emailing it to your client, as well as your tracking system for invoices and payments—it’s all done using modern technology.

The Environmental Benefits of a Digital Invoicing System

Of course, one of the biggest draws for businesses these days is that digital invoicing is a far more environmentally friendly way to operate than the old paper methods. So, how exactly does e-invoicing help the environment?

  • The average invoice is about 2.5 pages long, so you need to use three pieces of paper for each invoice that you print out.
  • If you post an invoice, you also have to consider the paper used for the envelope and for the stamp.
  • You can’t be sure that those invoices will ever get recycled by your client.
  • Physical paperwork needs to be stored somewhere, often in files or folders that are yet more paper or card, or they’re made of plastic—which is bad for the environment.
  • If you use any embossing or most fancier papers, you’ll find that your invoices are no longer recyclable.

Other Advantages for Your Business

Digital invoicing isn’t just good for the environment; it’s actually good for business. There are plenty of advantages to making the switch, including:

1. Save on Money

It actually costs your business less to use a digital system than a paper system. For one, you don’t have to continually buy paper and envelopes, ink and toner for your printer, invoice books, and other re;ated equipment or tools. True, you can spend money on invoicing or accounting software, but that expense is significantly less when you take the whole system into account.

Another way you save money is that your invoicing system becomes a lot simpler. Remember, time is money, and when you’re spending time writing out invoices or printing and posting them, you’re costing your business money.

Sterling Commerce did a study that showed the exact costs saved by a business that went digital back in 2010. On average, a company went from spending $30 on processing one invoice down to $3.50 after making the switch. That’s a huge saving, and has only increased in the last decade.

2. Reduce the Risk of Human Error

Depending on how advanced your invoicing system is, you can almost entirely cut out the possibility of human error. Even if you use a spreadsheet to create invoices and track them, you can ensure that you don’t make calculation errors by letting the software do it for you. It’s also possible to have your spreadsheets talk to each other, so that important information like invoice totals is automatically copied into your tracking spreadsheet.

If you use a more advanced software for your digital invoicing system, you can set it to auto-populate your invoices based on the codes you input. The software will automatically calculate line-item totals, VAT or tax, shipping costs, and anything else relevant to a particular invoice.

There’s simply nothing more painstaking than writing out each item on an invoice and breaking out the calculator to tally it up.

3. Streamline Your Entire Process

No matter the size of your business, the invoicing process is a big part of your operations. If you can streamline the system, you can boost your productivity and improve your bottom line. It’s a win-win.

It might take a bit of time to set everything up properly, but once your system is running smoothly, you’ll find invoicing a lot simpler to do. Additionally, by streamlining the process, you can free up time for other tasks within your business. This is useful whether you run your invoicing on your own or you have an entire team for your business accounts.

Statistics show that you can reduce your processing time for one invoice from 15 days to just three. This is a massive time saver for businesses of all sizes.

4. Get Paid Quicker

Following on from the point of reducing the time of invoice processing, you can see how you might end up helping your cash flow when you switch to digital invoicing. Due to the fact that the invoice and its trail is all digital, you can track exactly where it is, and so can your client.

You can see exactly when it was sent to the client, and you can see when the invoice is due, and therefore, when you should send follow-ups. What’s more, you can automate the process of sending and chasing, and even thanking the client when payment is received.

a paper free office

You no longer have to manually create the invoice, wait for the postal system to get it to your customer, and then wonder if enough time has passed before you follow up. You’ll know precisely when the client received the invoice, and you can be certain that it didn’t get lost in the mail or sent to the wrong person at your client’s company.

Make the Switch to Eco-Friendly Invoicing

Digital invoicing is, quite simply, the smart choice for any business in today’s world. Drawing up these documents now only takes a few minutes at most and invoice processing is made quicker, easier, and more effective. E-invoices are also good for the environment, making your business a greener supplier; which is something that many people look for today when choosing a company to buy from.

When you look at all the positives for the environment and your business, there’s really no reason why you shouldn’t make the switch—if you haven’t done so already!

How Can Managed IT Services Help Your Business Become More Sustainable

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How sustainable is your IT strategy? Sustainability in business is a significant concern, especially when incorporating it into your tech stack.

Your business needs to balance innovation and growth with environmental consciousness and responsibility. This effort involves considering the hardware and software systems you choose, among other IT assets. Most importantly, how you manage and dispose of these assets reflects your business’s sustainability efforts.

how to make your business more sustainable with managed IT services

However, not all businesses have the right people, infrastructure, and experience to manage IT assets and address their challenges, vulnerabilities, and threats. That’s where managed IT services come into play.

But how can a managed IT service help you promote a greener business footprint? Learn more about making your business more sustainable with managed IT services below.

Establish Benchmarks For Smarter Roadmaps

Many companies want to align their technology approach with broader sustainability goals. But the problem is the lack of knowledge and understanding of their technological needs and unclear sustainability goals. In addition, going paperless isn’t enough, and embracing digital technology generates a considerable digital footprint.

Managed IT services can help businesses establish benchmarks for smarter roadmaps to meet tech needs and sustainability objectives. Environmental benchmarking aims to reduce a business’s carbon emissions by continuously evaluating solutions, workflows, and equipment.

Without environmental benchmarking, evaluating if your business is progressing in its sustainability efforts is difficult. A managed IT service company can help prioritize this task to make your business more sustainable.

You can get managed IT in Phoenix or your area to kickstart your business’s sustainability journey.

Provide Flexible IT Infrastructure

Is your IT infrastructure obsolete? How do you want to have a flexible IT infrastructure without generating dramatic environmental impacts?

As companies accelerate their digital transformation efforts, their tech requirements change. Businesses want to upgrade their IT infrastructure to the latest operating systems, hardware models, and other tech advancements to keep up with the tough competition.

However, the challenge lies in maintaining a flexible IT infrastructure. If you want your business to maximize benefits from your legacy systems and existing technology, think of a more informed approach.

A managed IT service company can assess your existing business system and help you develop a more flexible IT infrastructure to scale your business.

Recommend Sustainable Products And Solutions

Managed IT service companies have highly trained, experienced, and qualified technology professionals who can recommend sustainable products and solutions for your business.

These professionals can assist you in comparing different tech products considering their lifecycle and environmental performance.

For instance, a managed IT service can recommend the best renewable energy to run your business systems without compromising performance. An IT expert can recommend brands of sustainable laptops, computer systems, servers, and other hardware solutions that generate less emissions.

You can also get expert tech insights about smart data asset management and how to empower your employees with data and tech tools to boost sustainability consciousness and proactive efforts.

Assist In Cloud Migration

Drive business sustainability with cloud hosting. Instead of using local servers that generate much power, cloud computing utilizes a network of internet-hosted remote servers for data management, processing, and storage.

Cloud migration is a sustainable effort. It can reduce the electrical consumption from energy sources. As a result, this technology can significantly reduce climate impact with fewer emissions and greater energy efficiency.

Moreover, cloud hosting reduces your on-premises footprint by powering and cooling your hardware. A managed IT service company can help you move your data and application to the cloud.

managed IT services and sustainability

In addition, a reputable managed IT service provider can help build cloud workloads sustainably which involves understanding and quantifying the service impacts. Implementing the best practices and applying design principles to decrease these impacts is crucial.

Assist In Proper Electronic Waste Disposal

Businesses can help minimize electronic waste to reduce the amount of energy and conserve the earth’s resources.

ways you can use your old computer

Managed IT services can assist in electronic waste management. They can help businesses connect with recycling companies that practice sustainable practices, such as recycling. Proper e-waste disposal ensures that electronics don’t end up in landfills.

Furthermore, managed IT services can help set up a business to automate waste management tasks. They can recommend apps or solutions to organize storage better, ease waste verification and provide real-time waste monitoring from collection and segregation to its conversion into power and other useful products.

Make Your Business More Sustainable Today

Now more than ever, businesses take sustainability as one of the keys to success. As more customers patronize brands with sustainability advocacy, businesses aim for innovation and growth while promoting a greener footprint. Managed IT services offer solutions that can help you attain these goals.

An Easy Guide to Make Your Business Sustainable

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The adoption of sustainable practices is an opportunity for growth of california llc, but it also presents a challenge. Though you’ll eventually enjoy the economic and environmental benefits of your changes, implementing them takes commitment. You need to approach the transition with subtlety.

So what are the main points to keep in mind as you continue? What are practical strategies to reduce carbon emissions and excessive commercial waste? We’ll answer those questions and others like them, providing an easy guide for professionals who want to improve their standard of sustainability.

Read on to know how to make your business sustainable:

1. Assign a Sustainability Team Lead

One of the key factors in your success is communication. You need every employee to understand and accept your proposed changes, and that coordination is no small responsibility. If you’re going to increase sustainability in your workplace, you’ll need the assistance of a sustainability team lead.

Their role is to share your objectives with other employees and encourage them to adapt their behavior. They serve as an advocate for your new policies, putting them into action and helping others do the same. In short, your sustainability team lead will facilitate cooperation.

2. Invest in Practical Adjustments

When you’re operating a business, your bottom line is your top priority. You can’t afford to make changes if they compromise your profitability. Fortunately, you don’t need to make that kind of sacrifice, as certain practices are beneficial for both the environment and your expenses.

As an example, you can digitize documents to limit paper waste and lower the costs of printing and ink. You can also connect a group of devices to a single power strip, then turn it off when you leave the office. It’s a simple adjustment which will increase the lifespan of your devices and reduce e-waste.

3. Maintain Careful Record-Keeping

Over the past two years, many companies have engaged in the practice of sustainability reporting. Investors are starting to ask for this type of report, and if business owners are unable to provide it, they may encounter issues. Naturally, you need to give thought to record-keeping.

Are you documenting your changes? Do you have the necessary information from project and property managers? Investors need more than a promise to feel secure in your company’s improvements, and you can instill confidence when you offer reports with the relevant data.

4. Work With Similar Companies

Many companies have made it their goal to “go green,” and you should seek their support. Check for a list of green vendors in your area, and when you find one that meets your needs, reach out. You’ll come across sustainable alternatives for many products and services you currently depend on.

You may benefit from an eco-friendly cleaning service or maid service if your present service isn’t adequate. On a smaller scale, you can purchase business cards from a company that uses recycled materials. The point remains the same: You have options, and you should explore them.

5. Keep Convenience in Mind

As you modify your office, consider the convenience of your changes. An employee is far more likely to recycle paper and plastic products when they can easily access a recycling bin. If you’ve placed the bin in a location that doesn’t see much foot traffic, you’re not going to get the results you want.

Naturally, the ideal place for a recycling bin is the lunchroom or a similar area where your employees tend to congregate. The choice to recycle shouldn’t take more effort than the choice to use a conventional bin. Make both bins available to employees and trust them to make the correct decision.

6. Start Planning Today

Sustainability isn’t as simple as it first seems. A business owner may have good intentions, but unless they take time to prepare, their initiative won’t yield the desired results. With that in mind, review the steps in this guide and start planning your business sustainability program today.

You may also want to consider working with an e-cycling company to recycle your IT hardware and earn money from it. Whenever you have to upgrade your equipment, you can sell your used IT gear to one to keep it from polluting the environment, give it another life, and make money from your e-waste.

Why You Should Be Investing in Solar Panels?

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The future is green, and it’s more important to get on board with it than ever before. The past year has seen countless climate change related natural disasters, from the recent devastating mega-fires in California to frequent hurricanes sweeping the US and the Caribbean.

Solar panels are becoming much more accessible, for homeowners and for businesses. Traditional roof-rack solar panels can now be installed for as little as around $3,000, and are practically a no-brainer due to the energy savings you’ll make over time (you could even totally eliminate your electricity bill). Not to mention that you’ll be doing your part to help the environment in our planet’s time of need.

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Solar panels are becoming more accessible, for homeowners and businesses

If you’ve always found chunky solar panels ugly and off-putting, business magnate Elon Musk has a solution. His electric car and solar panel company Tesla has recently unveiled invisible solar roof tiles. The tiles look exactly like normal roof slates, but capture the sun’s energy without drawing attention. These tiles are paving the way to normalizing sustainable, beautiful eco-homes.

To further convince you about seriously considering installing solar panels for your home, check out our list of top reasons why solar panels will benefit your household or business.

Slash Your Energy Bills

After the initial investment of purchasing the panels and installation, the energy produced is all yours. Even if you consume more energy than your panels can produce, you’ll make drastic savings on what you are currently paying by purchasing all your electricity from the grid.

You’ll make even more amazing savings if you live in a sunny state or country – prices in Brisbane, Australia, are particularly low to purchase and install solar panels. And as the city enjoys on average 261 days of sun per year, panels there will produce more than enough energy to power homes all year round.

Energy costs are only set to rise and rise – meaning that by investing in solar panels now, you’ll never feel the strain of your electricity bills going up again. This is an especially smart idea for business owners with fluctuating income, as you can more easily predict your cashflow with fixed energy prices.

Increase the Value of Your Home

If you are open to the possibility of moving to a new house in the future, you will be able to sell your current property at an increased value by equipping it with solar panels. It’s an attractive prospect for buyers if a potential home comes with very small or no electricity bills, so you’ll be making a huge return on your investment in this way, too.

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Note: Be wary of ‘renting your roof’ to solar panel companies if you can’t afford to purchase the panels outright. You may want to ‘go green’ in any way you can, but buying panels is by far the most practical way to enjoy the benefits. The lengthy leases that come with rental panel contracts (often 25 years) have been seen to put off mortgage lenders.

It’s highly recommended that if you want to benefit from free electricity and help the environment with solar, you should save up first to increase the value of your property – not render it unsellable.

Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

As we said, it’s never been so important to do your bit to save our eco-system. The polar ice caps are melting faster than has ever been recorded, and the earth is suffering terrible effects. As well as hurricanes and fires, we’ve also experienced floods, earthquakes and landslides all over the world this year.

In the large scheme of things, installing solar panels doesn’t seem like it will help much, but if everyone did their part to be more eco-conscious, we could significantly reduce the strain of destructive fossil fuels on the environment. By equipping your property with solar panels, you will save money while making steps to saving the environment – a tough offer to turn down!

Utilizing green energy within your business has even better rewards. Marketing your business as eco-conscious and sustainable is a great way to attract customers and impress existing ones. In recent years, studies into consumer activity have found that sustainability is a big shopping priority, especially among the millennial generation. Corporate solar panels will increase your revenue by expanding your customer base AND saving your business’s energy bills.

So – what are you waiting for? Contact a solar energy company today, who will be more than happy to assist you on your green energy journey.

3 Reasons ESG Reporting Benefits Your Business

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Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting can give your business a competitive advantage, help attract and retain the best talent, and slash operating expenses.

ESG refers to a set of standards companies can use to assess their operational performance as it concerns social and environmental impact. On the environmental side, businesses must assess if they negatively impact the environment or have sustainable practices. On the social side, companies must weigh how they interact with workers, clients, suppliers, and their respective communities. And on the governance side, companies must focus on leadership, internal controls and audits, board governance, and executive compensation. 

benefits of ESG reporting for businesses

Having a good understanding of ESG meaning is essential if you want to get ahead in today’s business environment and develop a quality sustainability reporting strategy.

But what specific benefits can your business get through ESG reporting? Here are three benefits.

1. Entice More Consumers

According to a PWC study, 83% of consumers believe businesses should be proactively working on achieving ESG best practices. Consumers are eager to see companies play a more meaningful role in fast-tracking progress on ESG issues like carbon-emissions or waste management. In fact, consumers acknowledge they’ll reward businesses for doing so. 

A concise ESG reporting framework is one example where sustainability reporting can translate into attracting more customers. People are looking for ways to become better stewards of the environment, and want to align with like-minded businesses. Consumers will pay attention when your business uses the right ESG reporting software to disclose performance on concepts like green-energy initiatives. Customers will want to know how these sustainability-related issues inform your company’s business strategy and overall performance.

2. Hire and Hold Onto Top Talent

Another benefit of ESG reporting is that it can help to attract — and retain — top talent. The Great Resignation saw around 50.5 million people quit their jobs last year. It was part of a pandemic-era trend where many people simply felt like the grass was greener elsewhere. 

You might be surprised to learn about the connection between employee satisfaction and employers that take ESG seriously. According to one source, top employers, as determined by worker satisfaction, have average ESG scores that are 14% higher than the worldwide average. Satisfied workers tend to work harder, stick around longer, and strive to produce better results for their employers. The same study adds that businesses that are most attractive to students and young professionals have ESG scores 25% higher than the worldwide average.

When considering the cost of replacing a single worker can range from one-half to two times the worker’s annual salary, you can appreciate the importance of finding and holding onto the right talent. Something like ESG & sustainability reporting can give your business a competitive advantage that attracts the best talent and increases employee retention.

3. Lessen Operational Expenses

One of the benefits of reducing your company’s carbon footprint is there’ll be a corresponding reduction in operational expenses. Your business’ carbon footprint refers to the complete tally of greenhouse gases generated by your company, which includes your employees and your operations. You can do many things to lower your company’s carbon footprint. You can right-size your workforce, optimize routes for fleet vehicles, and cut down on in-person meetings. The more you reduce your business’ carbon footprint, the lower you can cut your operational costs. 

A good ESG reporting platform will give you the insights you need to implement meaningful changes, right when you need them. Considering that the standards for ESG reporting continue to evolve over time, you’ll also want to ensure you have a reporting platform that seamlessly incorporates changes as they occur, like Workiva’s cloud-reporting solution which creates audit-ready, investor-trusted ESG reporting. Using a cloud reporting solution is the only way you can ensure your data is always compliant and up to date.

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Start Reporting on Sustainability Today

ESG reporting is essential. If you’re a publicly listed company, there are ESG reporting requirements to be mindful of. But any business that wants to remain competitive and relevant ought to take ESG reporting seriously by developing a sustainability reporting strategy. 

The consumers you rely on want to see ESG reporting disclosures from the businesses they patronize. The only real question for your business is which ESG reporting software to get. Don’t simply select the first one you find, there may be a sustainability reporting solution that can benefit your entire team and will effectively engage your stakeholders. Do some research to find out what’s out there so you can make an informed decision.