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insight story blockchain

Blockchain’s amazing versatility promises world-changing uses

  • min read
    • New blockchain applications are spreading fast in every type of business. It can do things once hard to do reliably, like validating supply chain sustainability, giving consumers more trustworthy information and even rewarding people for getting exercise. Does your business need to get to grips with blockchain, and how could you use it to transform your business for the better? Kaspersky's new podcast, Insight Story, unpacks emerging tech trends with global specialists and businesses successfully using the tech. Episode 3 looks at blockchain. I speak with UK-based Helen Disney, Director of The Realization Group and Founder of Unblocked. Germany-based Abhi Sharma, Global Lead of Mobility Platform, Blockchain and Partner Universe at BASF also joins us. A simple way to understand blockchain Helen likens blockchain to an old idea everyone recognizes. "We've had ledgers for a long time – someone sends you an invoice, you write down when someone pays and match the two. Blockchain is a digital, distributed ledger. It provides an audit trail for all transactions and activities on a shared network. 'Distributed' means everyone in that network has a copy, so you can't go back in time and change things." Businesses see that a reliable, shared ledger that's hard to change makes more things possible. Helen says, "There are examples of using blockchain in business and for social impact, like in healthcare and supply chains, in creative industries, the energy sector and environmental initiatives. In financial services, blockchain can create efficiencies, speed up settlement times and let people transact with assets not currently tradable." Blockchain Research Institute continually examines the many applications of blockchain, from ocean health to medical research to border security. Grand View Research estimates the global blockchain market is worth 10 billion US dollars today and will grow 88 percent each year. Cottoning on to value in supply chain sustainability Abhi Sharma explains a BASF blockchain initiative that capitalizes on the premium consumers are willing to pay for sustainable products to incentivize sustainable cotton production. The largely undifferentiated nature of the commodity market has made this challenging in the past. Abhi says, "Farmers have had no incentive to use better practices to protect the environment because that information doesn't flow to the consumer." Seed 2 Sew aims to change that. "Farmers enter information in a mobile application at every stage of their season, harvest and delivery of goods. When they use sustainable practices like natural irrigation, they can enter the practice in the application and take photos for proof, creating extra value." It's not just farmers who could claim credit for doing the right thing. "Other players in the market could be motivated to install solar panels, use sustainable electricity and so forth." Seed 2 Sew is designed to fit naturally with how farmers already work. "They're not sitting at a computer filling in spreadsheets – they're taking photos in the field and feeding that data into the blockchain. Their motivation is high, because there's high demand on the retail side for more sustainable products." And on the retail side, consumers need confidence in sustainability claims. "Consumers are becoming more conscious. They want to buy less, but buy more meaningful, story-driven products. We're creating that traceability and transparency that prevents greenwashing." Where to start with blockchain But where should a business leader start? Helen thinks it's down to understanding your business as much as blockchain. "Think about, in my business, where could this be beneficial? Do I want to offer some reward points or incentives to customers, change the business's financial infrastructure, or do something with my supply chain? Start with what's important to you, and look for real-world examples of what's been done." Many early-adopter projects haven't continued, and Abhi sees lessons in that. "Organizations need a start-up culture. You need fail fast, learn fast models. But it's more about the people than the investment – whether they can drive a project, whether they can scale it. Your people will drive your idea into the marketplace." He thinks exploring blockchain is worth it regardless of whether you ultimately use it. "For those who've dived into it, it shifts their mindset. Thinking about the possibilities gives them different ideas. Once you realize you can do something in a decentralized or distributed way, it changes how you think." Blockchain and cybersecurity Head of Kaspersky Global Research and Analysis Team (GReAT) for Latin America, Fabio Assolini, thinks businesses should note risks associated with blockchain, whether you use it in your business or not. "Blockchain isn't immutable. Attacks on these systems have happened, like 51 percent attacks." That's when a group of cryptocurrency miners achieves control of more than half of a network's computational power, allowing them to alter the blockchain. "Another problem with blockchain is double-spending – under certain conditions, miners can modify blocks to spend cryptocurrency twice. For small companies, that can be a real problem." But cybercriminals using blockchain is behind a fast growing number of attacks. "Cryptojacking is one of the most common attacks. Cybercriminals hijack the power of processing on your servers by programming your device to mine cryptocurrency for them. When they invade a system, they will also sell the access to other cybercriminals." Cryptojacking is rising dramatically – Kaspersky research showed a 230 percent increase in 2022. It can slow systems and ramp up your energy bills, but Fabio warns there aren't always obvious signs. "More professional fraudsters prepare crypto mining software that runs smoothly. The administrator may not realize there's something going on." Businesses can prevent cryptojacking by adopting cybersecurity best practice. "There's no single action, but a set of good practices to protect against remote access. For example, you need firewalls, access control to all systems and logging of all user activity," says Fabio. "Attacks that install crypto mining software will also be detected by a good endpoint security solution." Where will blockchain go next? Blockchain will be as common as smartphones, according to Helen. "In the future, we'll all have a web wallet and assets and tokens sitting on blockchains." She believes the incentives and benefits will compel consumers to adopt blockchain-based products fast. "We're already seeing examples, like play-to-earn games, where you can earn cryptocurrency playing computer games and then trade it for other things. Sweatcoin lets you earn money for walking. These apps also generate data business or research organizations could use to understand our lives better." Our experts have a few thoughts for those considering or starting to use blockchain. Abhi says, "Business leaders should think more about how to maintain it. I see many sustainability-related blockchain initiatives, but few survive." Helen thinks we need a more widespread understanding of blockchain to unleash its true potential. "We can solve big global problems by building communities of interest and incentivizing change. Blockchain is for everybody. You needn't be technical to understand it. Make time to learn, and you'll find it fascinating." Listen to the full Insight Story audio series on Podbean or your usual podcast provider.
green tech improving business

Six ways green tech can benefit your business

  • min read
    • Two-thirds of customers place importance on a brand's sustainable or eco-friendly image. Buoyed by this growing consumer awareness, business investment in becoming more sustainable is at record highs. Staff are concerned too – 97 percent of executives say their company has been negatively affected by climate change. IT and enterprise leaders must get involved in this new age of corporate social responsibility (CSR.) But these new environmentally conscious ways of doing business can benefit your company in other ways. Here are six ways green tech is improving business while reducing its environmental footprint. 1.   Saving on energy bills Oxford Economics says data-driven tools like smart meters, smart plugs and self-regulating energy systems can cut energy costs by up to 5 percent. It may not sound like much, but will add up to billions by 2030, with the biggest savings likely in small-to-medium businesses. These smart solutions are an easy way for businesses to predict better, optimize and conserve energy, meaning cost savings while reducing climate impacts of energy production, which across the world, is still mostly done by burning fossil fuels. 2.   Gaining more organizational insight These smart devices don't just help save energy and resources. They give businesses improved insight into process efficiencies. There's been huge uptake of 'internet of things' (IoT) devices in industry and manufacturing, largely driven by their ability to predict maintenance needs, maximize productivity and reduce factory downtime. Over 55 billion devices will be connected and talking to one another by 2025, according to market researcher IDC. One example is modular house-building factories –robots are better than humans at arranging patterns to get the most cuts from a piece of wood. 3.   Improving employees' working lives According to international consulting firm McKinsey, remote, digital, and hybrid technologies will define the future of work. Many employers are using online tools to book on-demand flexible office space, vehicles and virtual desktops, cutting resource consumption and travel-related greenhouse gas emissions. Employees relish more opportunity to work flexibly, widespread since the pandemic – whether working from home or across hours that better suit family life. Commuting is no small contributor to climate change. In the US, 75 percent use driving as their main means of getting to work. 4.   Saving on carbon costs With many countries operating internal carbon markets, reducing carbon emissions can, on its own, reduce operating expenses. These schemes require companies to buy carbon credits for emissions they produce, while those that create carbon sinks, like forestry, can make money by selling credits. Renewable energy microgrids are one way to cut carbon emissions. Other companies are replacing fossil fuel-powered vehicle fleets with electric and hybrid vehicles. These can also have health benefits for staff through reduced air pollution, vibration and noise. 5.   Reducing eWaste Our growing mountains of electronic waste are not easy or cheap to recycle, but practice is improving. Green tech can also help here, like using cloud-based file storage and backups, where multiple businesses share the same IT infrastructure. (This, in turn, makes strong, automated cloud security indispensable.) Virtual desktops also mean you needn't constantly equip and re-equip staff with dedicated laptops and PCs, meaning less waste to landfill. Choose your data center wisely for minimum environmental impact – they can use much electricity and water, and create a lot of heat. Doing your research will reveal the most low-impact options, like using data centers in countries where most electricity is generated renewably. 6.   Increasing productivity One UCLA study found employees at companies that voluntarily adopt high environmental standards were 16 percent more productive than peers at less eco-friendly organizations. Reasons might include distance learning, telecommuting and real-time collaboration tech. Artificially-intelligent software personalities and automated helpers may also help employees work without needing to travel while taking over repetitive tasks that reduce focus. Green tech for business will mean many operational benefits alongside all-important protection for our resources, climate and atmosphere. Companies should aim to stay ahead of customers' expectations and move more quickly than regulation requires. The coming years will only bring more environmental scrutiny and awareness, so it will pay to invest in greener tech today.
Climate change threatens IT infrastructure disruption

How to make IT infrastructure resilient against extreme weather

  • min read
    • Almost nothing in the world will be unaffected by climate change. From more storms and wildfires to rising sea levels, the impact of extreme weather events will only grow. Infrastructure, too, faces tough challenges from sudden and damaging floods, hurricanes and heatwaves. IT networks and systems, and the vital data they hold, may be most at risk. We've already seen what can happen. Wildfires can take out cell towers, preventing those affected from calling for help. Flooding has taken on a UK data center used by a mobile phone network. Businesses that plan to rely on driverless tech should be aware it's not yet working well in severe weather. For enterprises, preparing for the impacts of climate change is no substitute for doing all they can today to reduce emissions and sequester (store) carbon. But business and IT leaders can protect their vital IT infrastructure for more extreme times ahead. Why invest in infrastructure resilience? According to 2018 OECD policy paper, Climate Resilient Infrastructure, if we don't adapt infrastructure, climate change will increase extreme weather infrastructure damage in Europe ten-fold by the end of the century. Bryan Strawser, CEO of experts in crisis management and business continuity Bryghtpath, expects climate change and its associated risks will have a growing impact on IT resilience and business continuity in the coming years. "We'll see impacts from physical risks like flooding and a continued increase in extreme weather events. There will be changes in how we think about using power, water and other natural resources. It will impact large data centers and other technologies that use these resources," Strawser told me. What business leaders should consider When assessing risk from climate change, business leaders must consider a wide range of impacts. There are urgent short-term issues, like intense rainfall and cyclones, and chronic long-term problems like rising sea levels and temperature increases. But with the right partners and resilience plans, business can successfully manage the challenges climate disruption will bring. Dealing with each issue in isolation is unworkable because of the sheer number of events that could pose a threat. Strawser advises that instead, work out a comprehensive IT resilience program aligned with your business continuity plans. "It's critical your C-suite and board have good visibility of the overall resilience program. Align the program with the organization's sustainability strategy and goals to ensure unified effort across the organization," Strawser says. Raising the environmental standard of business While IT infrastructure's contribution to carbon emissions is comparatively small, there is a role for IT managers and leaders in establishing sustainability frameworks internally around things like IT procurement, choosing data centers and adopting other solutions that reduce emissions. Mike Davis, Executive Business Consultant at business and IT consultancy Waterstons, highlights the role of meeting international standards. "ICT managers should encourage and take part in organizational compliance with standards like ISO 14001, which covers practical tools to manage environmental responsibilities, and ISO 50001, for energy management." He adds, "[Companies should] consider supporting change to their organization's fundamental stakeholder value proposition by seeking B Corp membership or something similar." B Corporations are certified as meeting high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency. IT climate risk is risk on a new scale No two organizations will take the same approach to securing their IT infrastructure, as the exact climate change resilience strategies are unique to an organization's own risks. For some enterprises, data centers will need extra protection or relocating, while others may need strengthened alternative communication lines to ensure backup is available in areas prone to weather disruption. Join forces with others One company may have a limited impact on the global climate, but efforts amplify when organizations work together to build up industry capabilities and technologies. Spending time and money researching new and improved ways to construct IT infrastructure can pay dividends by reducing risk long-term. Luis Neves, CEO of Global Enabling Sustainability Initiative (GeSI,) supporting IT firms to act sustainably, believes we must encourage a new wave of research and development "centered on climate-resilient innovation, aiming to generate energy-efficient gadgets and components fit for forecasted climate circumstances and to promote ICT user and sector adaptation." Neves also thinks, "This could spur new learning processes inside the industry and help it adapt to climate change by increasing flexibility and diversity." Getting fast responses right For businesses that don't set up a clear and comprehensive strategy to address IT resilience issues, unforeseen weather episodes can cause far more damage than for those who create a plan when climate change-driven events strike. Neves says Deutsche Telekom shows how an organization should respond to devastating damage to IT infrastructure. Extensive flooding in Germany in July 2021 destroyed or damaged much IT infrastructure, with around 250,000 people losing mobile network connection. Deutsche Telekom immediately set up a fast reaction team and four-phase plan. First, they created a single point of truth for customer help, then tackled technical and network disaster recovery. Finally, they set up a company-wide emergency team. With catastrophic weather events growing in frequency, business must adapt to a new normal where damage to IT infrastructure is common. Through comprehensive planning, they can be more competitive and ensure the availability of life-saving communication lines. "These effects are already felt and will only worsen," says Neves of GeSI. "Long-term plans that address national priorities for sustainable development and progress toward international commitments will be crucial."
data cooling center

How Ireland is using waste heat from data centers to warm homes

  • min read
    • Home to the physical servers that keep the Cloud aloft, data centers have become vital pieces of global IT infrastructure. These centers now provide computing horsepower for billions of connected devices. But our digitized world needs a lot of energy to function. Data centers consume over 1 percent of the world's electricity. With thousands of servers to run and keep cool, large data centers can use as much electricity as a small city. Ireland's favorable geography and regulation have so far attracted over 70 data centers, powering global Cloud services for tech giants like Microsoft and TikTok. Managing the energy footprint of data centers is a challenge that will only grow. Ireland's energy regulator says data centers could use almost 30 percent of the country's electricity by 2027, endangering climate goals. Adding to the energy toll, over 75 percent of data center electricity becomes waste heat. Could the way data centers act like giant radiators help reduce some of their climate impact? Data centers make great heaters Ireland's weather is famously cold and wet at almost any time of year. Keeping homes and businesses warm, mostly using gas or oil boilers, makes up nearly a third of Ireland's carbon emissions. For John O'Shea, Energy Systems Analyst at Dublin energy agency Codema, the synergy between Ireland's heating needs and its data centers' waste heat is clear. "In winter, a data center can provide heating up to 85 degrees Fahrenheit (29 degrees Celsius) similar to a gas boiler, with better energy efficiency than a heat pump in a new house." O'Shea and his team are part of the Tallaght District Heating Scheme through the EU-funded Heat Net project. And it's on track to turn data center heat waste into a sustainable heat source for the Dublin suburb's homes and businesses. From 2022, water cooling servers in Tallaght's Amazon Web Services (AWS) data center will be upcycled through a new district heating network. A new way to approach an old solution As a way to heat buildings collectively in urban areas, district heating schemes are nothing new. In Scandinavia, the 1970s oil crisis made sustainable heating a priority for urban planners. In Copenhagen, almost 95 percent of heating comes from reused waste heat from factories and other heat emitters. Although data centers have been used to power existing district heating networks in Scandinavia, Tallaght might be first to build a new heating network around a data center. Using data center waste heat to provide low cost, sustainable heating is a rare win-win climate solution. O'Shea says, "From phase one, we'll save 1,500 tonnes of CO2 each year by using something that's otherwise vented into the atmosphere." He thinks the solution has global potential, pointing to a paper he co-authored showing unconventional heat sources like data centers could provide 10 percent of the EU's total heating and hot water. With efficient heating comes efficient cooling The district heating program also helps reduce another big environmental impact of data centers: Water use. Many data centers use evaporated water to cool servers. At peak times, one data center can use over a million liters of water a day. In return for transferring waste heat to the network, the center gets cooler water back, reducing or even removing the need for evaporation cooling. O'Shea says the system's benefits go even further. "Because our network is always monitoring heat output, we've got an extra set of eyes on the health of the data center cooling system." This extra monitoring could save money and hardware damage – a recent study of 41 data centers by leading digital infrastructure provider Vertiv found the average cost of a downtime event was over 506,000 US dollars. The most common cause was power or cooling failures. Beyond district heating Paul Deane, a researcher fellow at Ireland's MaREI Environment Research Institute, agrees the Tallaght heating solution has big potential but notes combining data centers with district heating "is not a magic bullet." Deane points out that in Ireland alone, data centers may contribute "around 1 million tonnes [of C02] each year by 2030." He thinks data center energy use demands a combined approach. "We need proactive solutions like district heating and other measures like greater renewable energy use and carbon offsetting." Some in the Irish parliament have described growing numbers of data centers when the government is reaffirming its commitment to a carbon-neutral future as "out of control," but Deane sees a silver lining. "You can look at data centers in two ways: As part of the problem or part of the solution. I like to look at them as a solution." He adds, "We need data centers, but we also need them to be cleaner." For Deane, proactive solutions like Tallaght's district heating system are a step in the right direction. With free heat from an industrial by-product and dramatically reduced CO2 emissions and water use, it's hard to argue with that.
future travel tech

Advances in tech are brightening the future of public transit

  • min read
    • 1960s US children's cartoon The Jetsons, set around a family living in the year 2062, did amazingly well at predicting many technologies we have today. Its difficulty in seeing past the values of mainstream 1960s America is more amusing. The family revolves around a bread-winner patriarch, his ditzy wife, fashion-obsessed daughter and whiz-kid son. And they all get around in a private, although flying, car that belches smoky exhaust. But even The Jetsons didn't fantasize escaping roads would mean escaping congestion. Clogged, chaotic 'skyways' are now a mainstay of science-fiction dystopia. In the iconic '90s blockbuster, The Fifth Element, taxi driver Bruce Willis cuts a recognizable figure with his roadless road rage. Are we doomed to a future of inefficient, alienating and polluting transport? I don't believe so. I'll share a couple of exciting developments in sustainable public transportation. But first, why does it matter? The cost of laying down the red carpet for cars Today's urban planners agree the mid-to-late 20th-century trend for building cities around the idea everyone should have a private car was a mistake. And it was a downward spiral – as more people became reliant on their car, public transport became less efficient and affordable. While private cars are brilliant for disabled people, families with small children and people living in remote areas, when everyone relies on them, it's a problem. Conversely, where we see efficient, affordable public transport, we also see better health, greater social mobility (meaning people can more easily escape poverty) and reduced traffic accident-related injuries and deaths. A 2020 report by the US's Economic Development Research Group found investing in public transport gives a 5-to-1 return through, for example, job creation, productivity and tax revenue. That's before considering humanity's biggest threat: Climate change. Even when powered by fossil fuel, a trip by bus instead of a car means an over six times reduction in emissions. Moving people (or freight) by rail is even more energy-efficient. That's before converting bus and train fleets to run on electricity or hydrogen, as many cities are now doing. We must look at public transport, cycling and walking as priority means of transportation in the future, but it might not be a return of the transport options our grandparents knew. The future of public transport might evoke more utopian science fiction imaginings. Taking to the sky on a cable In recent years cities in Central and South America have chosen to build aerial tramways, also known as gondolas or cable cars, because of their advantages over options like light rail and buses. Among other things, they're fast to build, have an excellent safety record, and the terrain is no object. In Medellín, Columbia – once described as "the most dangerous city on earth" for its cartels and drug barons like Pablo Escobar – many credit cable cars with turning the city around. Lonely Planet says Medellín is now "one of the safest big cities in Latin America, with character, nightlife and public art that any urban area would envy." Locals put the success of their cable cars down to an intention to serve the residents of deprived neighborhoods rather than tourists or wealthy commuters. This is reflected not just in where the cable cars go, but in the ticket cost of less than 1 US dollar. Gondolas in Caracas, Venezuela, and Bogotá, Bolivia, may have succeeded for similar reasons. The most high-tech aerial tramways run on three cables – two for carrying and one for pulling. Without social distancing, some can take as many as 200 people in one cabin. New combined automation and safety software allows continued operation if sub-systems fail, aiming further to enhance the gondola's existing top-notch safety record. Many now have Wi-Fi for customer use and as a safety feature. Head of Kaspersky's Research Center for Europe, Marco Preuss, recommends caution with public Wi-Fi. "It's convenient to use local Wi-Fi in hotels, restaurants and public places, but think about who controls the network, what data you share and which websites you visit. The operator or cybercriminals may snoop on your traffic, collect sensitive data or even attack your device. Make sure work and personal devices are encrypted and use encrypted connections." While digitalization often brings safety improvements, it also means more ways for cybercriminals to attack. In recent years attacks on critical infrastructure have increased, and cyber experts predict they'll become even more common. Mass transit organizations should see themselves as a likely target, secure all potential attack points and plan how they'll respond to a cyber incident. Trains running on solar power What could better highlight the value of reducing our impact on the planet than traveling through restored coastal wetland and wooded areas on an almost-silent sun-powered heritage train? People have been able to do this in Byron Bay, near Brisbane, Australia, since 2018. "There'd been some resistance to an old diesel train operating," Byron Bay Train Development Director Jeremy Holmes told BBC World Service. "We talked about the reality of converting it to solar." The train's restorer Tim Elderton continues, "I said, "What?!" But then I did some calculations, and actually, with the technology today, I believe we can. With the batteries, solar panels and traction motor, we made it all come together." The train gets some of its power from photovoltaic cell panels on the train's roof, but most from panels on the station terminus roof. It uses only 27 percent of the electricity generated, so they sell the rest to the local grid. Although the team says the technology could power a trip 15 times its three-kilometer run, that's still far from what many railway journeys must achieve. But the Byron Bay Train is part of broader solar exploration in the rail sector. Riding Sunbeams is a UK-based social enterprise supplying electricity to the rail sector from solar farms owned by commuters and the local community. There are significant potential emissions reductions from renewable railway power. In the UK, rail is the country's single largest electricity consumer, and it's among the highest energy-consuming sectors in India. And most of the world's rail journeys are still powered by diesel. Changing lives and technology change transport COVID-19 laid bare the unpredictability of change in how we live our lives, and so, how we travel. Suddenly, the numbers working from home has leaped and is expected to stay far higher than pre-pandemic levels. Some areas have seen consequent falls in public transport users of up to 60 percent, putting networks at serious risk. While many authorities enforce social distancing and mask-wearing on public transport, some commuters make other transport choices if they can. It's not the first time tragic events have changed travel behavior. Terrorist bombings on Transport for London trains and buses in July 2005 led to a daily fall of up to 32 percent in numbers using the Underground and an increase in cycling. Ride-sharing apps like Uber and Lyft are often said to have radically changed the face of urban transport, including apparent decreases in the use of public transport in cities where they operate. Although they've started to add public transport schedules to their app in many cities, mixed statements about whether they're deliberately competing with public transport raise concerns. Marcus Enoch, Professor of Transport Strategy at Loughborough University, says steep rises in the cost of living in cities is likely to decrease public transport use by forcing its typical younger user group to live in smaller cities and towns. As a general rule, the smaller and less dense the city or town, the less likely it will have efficient public transport. He also predicts rising transport automation levels and increasingly intelligent, personalized apps could lead to one of four possible transport futures. His least dystopian and more socially connected visions require high-density urban living to succeed – something government policy can influence. New technology and social change bring challenges and opportunities to the hard problem of getting people around cities. In supporting sustainable, efficient transport options like public transport, cycling and walking, cities can ensure better health and economic well-being for their citizens. When transport projects aim to meet the needs of the most isolated and vulnerable people, examples like the cable cars in Medellín, Columbia, show the power of something as everyday as transport to create ripples of positive change across society.
IT climate change

Technology won’t solve our environmental problems unless we change ourselves

  • min read
    • Business success often hinges on whether leaders can motivate their teams to persevere in the face of adversity. When it comes to slowing climate change and reversing environmental damage, we need to know the numbers and see the images to understand the scale of the problem. But these same numbers and images can also make us feel powerless. Looking at technology that's making a difference is one way we can get inspired to act. But how can the tech industry help? And is tech what we need most right now? I asked some of the top minds in the industry what they think, and for their star sustainability technology nominations. We can make any tech we need if we have the will Human ingenuity isn't limited by ability or information, but by demand and desire, argues Roland Harwood, Founder of Liminal collective intelligence community. "The coronavirus crisis shows if we want to or have to, we can make huge changes to our environmental impact, fast. We've seen massively reduced pollution over China and clean canals in Venice, Italy. "Any problem we can identify either already has a solution that we need to find and apply, or with enough demand or desire, we can make a solution. "I'm excited by blockchain technology Regen Network. It tracks, verifies and rewards ecological system improvements. They gather data with satellites, sensors and observation, and upload it to a data marketplace. Governments, institutions and businesses can pay for accurate ecological data, and the results they want, from farmers anywhere in the world. It makes it possible to financially reward ecological progress, like improved soil, cleaner rivers and replanted forest." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKZJD1Zz4kU Regen Network lets organizations and governments pay farmers for proven environmental outcomes, rewarding them for maintaining and improving their land's long-term health. Just value Earth more Marco Preuss is Head of Kaspersky's Research Center for Europe. He believes the answers for Earth are clearer from space. "We can say, "be greener by doing this or that," and it matters, but the core message should be, "value Earth." "Perhaps if people in power went to space for meetings, they'd be touched by the simple truth of the existence of our planet, and find better ways to negotiate. "Over the past decades, companies created technologies that changed our lives. It's now time these technologies and their data started to shape the creators. "We have the chance now to stop consuming the earth and align technology with nature. "Short-term profit," "market capture" and "product development cycles" are a few terms that fire in the wrong direction. With smart technologies, we can increase resource yields, improve recycling and develop low or no waste options. We need to advance to a new level as we create a world we can all live in. "Innovations that could make a big difference to the impact of food production include artificial meat and the green internet of things (IoT). I'm also excited by nuclear fusion as a potential source of energy and hydrogen as a fuel and store for renewable energy." Cleaner energy means a brighter future Andrew Winton, Vice President of Marketing at Kaspersky, thinks clean energy should be a priority for the tech industry. "We need to change our behavior to ensure there is a planet Earth in all our futures. "With 67 countries and eight US states working toward becoming net carbon neutral, we need to identify and implement more clean energy solutions as soon as possible. "The possibilities around kinetic energy are almost limitless, beyond the hybrid cars we're most familiar with. Devices can charge your phone by the movement of your running shoes as you jog. Kites can use more powerful wind speeds high in the sky to produce more energy than ground-based wind turbines. "We're only at the start of the journey, but it's one we must take to ensure we can have a bright future." The best projects assume repeat life, not obsolescence Formula E Journalist Hazel Southwell thinks the tech industry needs to think about its own footprint. "We should make sure innovation treads lightly. Some of the most significant recent growth areas have been ultra-consumptive, like cryptocurrency and blockchain technologies. Even if tech is programmed and virtual, we need to consider what it uses in the real world, as we do with constructed technology like cars or phones. "Tech can be a massive force for good, and we're going to need it, but we can't build things based on consumption anymore. Some important emerging technology might be called "low tech" or even kinda gross. It's not going to get a starring spot at a world innovation showcase. For example, efficiency improvements in landfill mining – although it feeds towards the highest-end smartphones by recovering precious minerals from waste. "The most exciting projects at the minute work with what we have. From converting toxic paper-production runoff into battery elements, to off-grid green electricity generation solving infrastructure problems because it doesn't need a grid. "Fortum's breakthrough in recycling EV batteries at 80 percent recoverable, including cobalt, is huge. We can get closer to 100 percent just by designing batteries for a circular economy, presuming their components will be needed again after their lifespan. The best projects assume repeat life, not obsolescence." It's worth learning more about the eye-watering energy consumption of cryptocurrency mining Hazel mentions. Original research by Kaspersky's Sergey Lurye shows the extent of illicit cryptocurrency mining: When malicious websites download scripts onto devices that connect to mining resources. Security software can block these attempts. Sergey says, "We have just touched the tail of the elephant in the room: Shadow energy consumption. When cryptomining and other malicious digital activities like web-based attacks arrive at unprotected devices, they consume energy, which means carbon emissions. Last year, Kaspersky products blocked over 700 million of these attacks. At even a fraction of a watt each, they would have consumed megawatts." Technology can only amplify how we think and act Irina Bock, eCommerce Director at Kaspersky, highlights that technology isn't so much a solution as a tool that reflects actions and ways of thinking. "The best way to protect the earth isn't technology. It's us. If we change the way we think and act, we will change the future. We're only just getting started. Technology is more of an amplifier of thoughts and actions. "It's great to see non-profits and individuals getting support to implement technology that will protect the planet. I recommend people look into The Ocean Cleanup, started by inventor Boyan Slat at age 18. It's a team of engineers, researchers and computational modelers working to rid the oceans of plastic. They develop and deploy technology that gathers plastics from water for sorting and recycling." Where are we at with IT and sustainability? Some of the ideas put forward – like Regen Network – are not just trying to do things a little better, but revolutionize the system. The Ocean Cleanup shows the difference one person can make by bringing together many people. These stories have one unifying thread: Rethinking our relationship with the environment is first and foremost. If human ingenuity knows no bounds, then technology will follow where we set our sights. The biggest challenge may not be technological, but bringing everyone along on the ride.
by Innovating leaders.
Innovative tech.
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Secure Futures magazine is your go-to business guide for opinions, trends and insight into the world of technology and cybersecurity. We help your business to bring on the future. Brought to you by Kaspersky, the global cybersecurity experts.

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