Initiatives that contribute to addressing social issues
Information Systems & Network Service Group
Message from the Group President
Contributing to the Realization of a Low-Carbon Society Through the Promotion of Various IT Services
Koichi Orito
Executive Officer, Group President,
Information Systems & Network Service
The Information Systems & Network Service Group is committed to enhancing customer satisfaction, helping achieve sustainable societies through solutions tailored to the management strategies and challenges of its customers, and developing solutions that contribute to solving social issues.
In recent years, we have been focusing on environmentally effective businesses, seeking to reduce environmental impact through the use of IT. Specifically, we are supporting workstyle reform and aggressively expanding our products and services that reduce environmental impact, such as those that curb power consumption through server integration and consolidation, reduce the need for business travel with video/web-conferencing systems, and promote paperless work environments through ledger computerization. Efforts for saving energy in data centers also help companies to reduce CO2 emissions from their business activities.
Going forward, in order to achieve smarter societies, we will leverage the many component technologies and strengths of the Mitsubishi Electric Group to build next-generation information systems using the latest IT solutions, such as IoT,*1 big data processing, and energy management systems, such as HEMS*2 and FEMS.*3
- *1 Internet of Things: A system to remotely control, operate, monitor, and collect information from various "things" connected via the Internet.
- *2 HEMS: Home Energy Management System
- *3 FEMS: Factory Energy Management System
Social issues for which risks and opportunities have been recognized and evaluated
Focusing on the SDGs
Major issues
- Optimal use of energy
- Introduction of clean energy
- Waste reduction and management
- Sustainable use and development of resources
- Addressing climate change
Initiatives that Contribute to Addressing Social Issues
Using Internet Data Centers to Help Customers Reduce Environmental Impact
Internet data center
We operate data centers—which are specialized facilities containing servers and communications equipment—and offer housing services where customers’ servers are relocated to one of our data centers or hosting services where we lease servers at our data centers to customers. We also provide private cloud services. Through these services, we are able to reduce the environmental impact of our customers’ businesses through IT. We also focus on making our data centers more eco-friendly, with floor designs that make it possible to place servers in denser layouts by separating the cool airflow from air conditioners from the heat emitted by servers. Our data centers use electricity more efficiently thanks to the installation of high-efficiency, water-cooled air conditioners. These innovations have helped companies to reduce their CO2 emissions by approximately 36% compared to the servers they build and operate in-house. Furthermore, we have installed photovoltaic panels in an effort to reduce power consumption with clean energy and planted greenery on top of data center roofs to prevent the heat island effect. In addition to using the information infrastructure inside our data centers, we provide an IaaS*4 platform service that enables more appropriate use of resources based on data processing volumes, leading to further cost reductions and improvements in energy savings.
- *4 laaS (Infrastructure as a Service): A service that provides information infrastructure (servers, communication equipment, communication lines, etc.) over a network.
Promoting Initiatives to Realize Smart Communities
We provide a wide variety of business tools utilizing ICT under the concepts that information can be shared at "any time", work can be done "anywhere" and "anybody" can share a job. We support customers' efforts to complete their workstyle reform and reduce environmental impact in order to help expand business.
For instance, by reducing irrational and futile jobs, overtime working hours can be reduced and overwork problems can be resolved while simultaneously reducing the energy used in offices. Additionally, the use of paperless conference systems allows reductions in the consumption of paper and the raw materials used to make it. It also helps reduce the frequency of business trips and promotes more effective use of office space.
Smart Office Solutions
Reducing Environmental Impact at Business Sites
In addition to contributing to society through our business operations, we are striving to reduce the negative environmental impact stemming from our business activities. Some of the initiatives we are implementing are as follows.
Continuous Activities Aimed at Reducing Environmental Impact
Our offices and factories are working continuously to reduce their environmental impact through energy-saving initiatives, sorting and reducing waste, upgrading fleet vehicles to fuel-efficient models, and improving the energy efficiency of logistics in procurement, product shipping, and waste disposal.
Internet Data Center Utilization
We are reducing environmental impact through the operation of energy-efficient Internet data centers.
Promoting Computer Recycling
Following the enactment of Japan's Act on the Promotion of Effective Utilization of Resources on April 1, 2001, we established our own collection and recycling system for used business computers. We also set up a collection and recycling system for household personal computers after revisions were made to this law that took effect on October 1, 2003. Going forward, we will continue to develop recycling-friendly products as part of our commitment to increase the reuse and recycling of our products.
Energy-Saving Initiatives
We implemented the following measures in fiscal 2012, which we continue to carry out today to realize further reductions in electric power use.
- Relocated servers to Internet data centers and stopped using server air conditioners that had been added inside offices.
- Changed computers to new models that use less electricity.