The Bottom Line ... Triple That Is ...

In today's publicly traded marketplace, the bottom line is no longer based solely on the profits generated for shareholders. In order for businesses to remain competitive they must also live up to the expectations of their customers, employees and society as a whole. That requires the utilization of responsible business practices when managing the supply chain from the time of procurement all the way through to recycling for the return of raw materials to the manufacturing channel.

As I look back over my career in the technology industry it is clear to me that we are evolving as a society in many ways. Developers are manufacturing new hardware and software technologies at a pace so rapid it’s almost impossible to stay within a version or two of the latest release. It's important that during this cycle of voluminous manufacturing that businesses make responsible procurement choices to insure that the already damaging environmental impacts of this manufacture is minimized through the utilization of sustainable computing practices. This serves not only the health of the environment but also the health of the people who make, use and recycle this technology.

Most businesses, government agencies and nonprofits are striving to live up to the commitment of being a sustainable business. This sustainability is marked by a balance of equally important priorities - social, environmental and economic - also referred to as the Triple Bottom Line.

IT Asset Managers can play a crucial role in delivering on the promise of the Triple Bottom Line. It might not be immediately evident how this is true, but in our 3-part series "ITAM’s Role in Promoting IT Sustainability" through IAITAM we will breakdown each element of the triple bottom line and explore why it matters and what best practices IT Asset Managers can implement to align and report the sustainability of their programs.

As a former asset manager, one of the greatest challenges in the implementation and management of my program were acquiring ongoing support for resources to further the maturity of the tools, processes and reporting. The funding and resources came when we were able to represent how ITAM aligns with the organizational strategy through the utilization of reporting on the quantifiable impact of the effort against those goals.

I have always lived by the philosophy of beginning with the end in mind and people being our most valuable as asset. Therefore, our conversation around sustainability will begin at end-of-life; where surplus technology meets the social element of the triple bottom line. Please join me on Tuesday, September 11, 2012 at 11 AM EDT for part 1 of the webinar series "ITAM and Corporate Social Responsibility: Leveraging Surplus IT to Narrow the Digital Divide" to learn about these best practices, as well as FCC-led initiatives including Connect2Compete to help low-income Americans get online and PC Pledge 100 to bridge the digital divide through corporate surplus. It's free - you can register here.