Kees Hertogh, Microsoft general manager of global industry product marketing, announced the general availability to the tool. If you are wondering how you missed this service in preview, it is because it was previously known as the Microsoft Sustainability Calculator. So, this is a rebranding of the tool that launched back in 2020. As it moves to wide release, the abilities of the tool remain largely the same. By accessing Microsoft’s AI technology, the Emissions Impact Dashboard provides accurate accounting data for carbon usage across an organization. Admins can see the impact caused by Microsoft cloud service across the footprint of a business. With the available data (from Power BI), companies can make concise decisions about their environmental impact. For example, the dashboard measures the impact of moving regular applications to the cloud and how this can reduce the carbon output of a company. “As cloud services continue to scale, their impact on the environment cannot be overlooked. That’s why today we’re announcing the general availability of the Microsoft Emissions Impact Dashboard, a tool that helps Microsoft cloud customers understand, track, report, analyze and reduce carbon emissions associated with their cloud usage,” Hertogh comments. “The Emissions Impact Dashboard is part of our commitment to address our own environmental impact and help our customers do the same. We introduced the Emissions Impact Dashboard in January 2020 as the Microsoft Sustainability Calculator. Designed to help customers gather meaningful, shareable information, the Emissions Impact Dashboard gleans critical insights to help organizations make more informed, data-driven decisions about sustainable computing.”
Cloud Carbon Goals
Of course, Microsoft is on its own push to be carbon negative by 2030. Microsoft committed to that goal a year ago. The decision followed a 2017 commitment to cut 75% of its carbon emissions by the same date and builds on 2019 revisions of 70% renewable energy by 2023. Earlier this year, the company launched Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability, a new vertical cloud offering. The platform helps organizations understand, measure, and manage their carbon emissions. They can also give themselves sustainability goals and gain insights on the best ways to achieve them. Tip of the day: Windows Aero Shake is a handy feature that lets you quickly reduce screen clutter with a shake of an app’s title bar. Doing so minimizes all windows other than the one in focus, allowing you to focus solely on what’s at hand. Another wiggle lets you undo Aero Shake, maximizing the other Windows again so you can continue working. Unfortunately, the feature can also have unintended consequences. Those who move their windows about or have dual monitors may notice that they’re accidentally activating Windows shaking. Luckily, enabling or disabling Aero shake isn’t too hard.
