Treating the Customer as a Renewable Resource

Last time, we explored how we can make IT more sustainable by improving data center energy use. Managing energy use is the most well-understood form of sustainability we have, but it is largely an internal form of sustainability practice. If we intend to make our businesses sustainable — i.e., able to function for a long time despite changes in the economy — then we also need to consider sustainability in customer facing business processes. That’s where treating the customer as a renewable resource comes in, and it is the subject of today’s article.