Data centers need to become more sustainable. This is driven not only by the fact that tenants are demanding their suppliers to report on sustainability and act in an environmentally responsible way but also by the need to comply with government regulations and attract investors.

This whitepaper explores a key contributor to this move towards sustainability: Environmental Sustainability Management tools. These tools help report on different metrics of sustainability, including GHG emissions, renewable energy supply, water conservation, and waste recycling. This paper makes the case that this type of software should be considered “the fourth pillar” of data center management.