Preface

Technology choices are never made without tradeoffs. In this fourth installment of this annual report, we continue our efforts to capture the current state of multicloud, as well as the motivations. We believe that aiming to understand the broader aspirations of where we collectively want to be, gives us the context to better understand why people make the choices they make. However, if in 2022 we are talking about where we want to be without an understanding of the environmental impact of the technologies we use to do it—often overuse, if we’re being honest with ourselves—then we continue to miss our existential tradeoff.

We are a mere eight years away from when current estimates predict that global carbon emissions must be halved by 2030 to limit warming to 1.5°C and avoid catastrophic climate change. New to the report this year is the extent to which sustainable IT is being prioritized and executed upon. The good news is that most organizations are indeed recognizing environmental sustainability and climate resiliency as important, and nearly half are doing something real about it. In the coming years we will expand our analysis and trending on this subject because our ongoing digital transformations must have line of sight to its lasting impacts on future generations—those that will never use your new app or service, but who will build the things we can only begin to imagine today.

Last year, we noted that constraints are a reality, but resigning ourselves to the status quo need not be. Pushing through barriers, however incrementally, and solving the hard problems—that requires imagination from all of us. This year we amend that: it also requires action. If we’re not convinced by the increasing number of conscientious consumers and investors, as well as governments and regulatory agencies leaning in, then consider the increased frequency and severity of the weather right outside our doors.

IT is in a unique position to lead and have a real impact. Let’s seize it together.