Sofis Solutions kicked off the 2nd Sustainable Digital Transformation Conference

Montevideo, October 31, 2023.

The second edition of the Sustainable Digital Transformation Conference by Sofis Solutions began with talks on sustainability in software development.

On Wednesday, October 25, the Sustainable Digital Transformation Conference by Sofis Solutions kicked off, providing company employees with the opportunity to learn and get informed about the projects that Sofis is carrying out to promote sustainability in software development.

The first day began with a welcome address by the director, Gustavo Cirigliano, who emphasized the importance of actions that promote sustainability and the engagement of all employees with the company policies that support such objectives. 

Together with director Santiago Atella, Gustavo Cirigliano presented #GreenSofis, a Sofis Solutions initiative that encourages products and development processes with a sustainability perspective. Details were also shared about projects framed within Green Sofis, such as the Green Sofis methodology and the innovation project on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Geographic Information Systems supporting the SDGs

In the second segment of the day, Pedro Arriondo spoke about Geographic Information Systems and how they can support the achievement of the SDGs. He also explained the SDG Geospatial Roadmap and presented objectives proposed by the GIS area of Sofis Solutions for 2024 that will use this roadmap.

“The global specialized community has understood the relevance of Geospatial Information (GI) for achieving the SDGs. Due to its ability to show what is happening and where, GI facilitates evidence-based decision-making. However, for GI to be effectively leveraged, it must be 'harmonized,' meaning it can be shared and analyzed by all actors globally. For this, it must be generated and maintained following standard processes,” said Arriondo.

From its role as a social actor, Sofis is strongly committed to the SDGs, he highlighted, adding that the GIS area works on aligned action lines by establishing strategic partnerships with other organizations, using geospatial standard procedures in projects managing GI, and publishing — through the Sofis Foundation — GI related to social topics, among other initiatives. 

The impacts of sustainable web design

Finally, Wendy Suárez led a presentation on strategies for sustainable web design, detailing the impacts of internet usage on the carbon footprint and sharing various recommendations for developing projects more sustainably by optimizing resources. She explained that internet speed is increasing, resulting in digital products with more complexity that therefore require greater consumption. 

In recent years, it has been estimated that 40% of the total internet carbon footprint comes from the user interface (covering design, images, colors, fonts, etc.). This means that web design plays a significant role in creating sustainable web products, she noted. 

“The importance of sustainable web design is that it can help reduce the digital carbon footprint by implementing practices that design websites with minimal negative environmental impact,” Suárez commented. 

The Sustainable Digital Transformation Conference by Sofis enabled employees to train and get informed about sustainability topics that are the foundation of the company’s initiatives and objectives. It also served as a platform to communicate future projects that the company will develop next year.

The conference will continue with two more sessions on November 1 and 8, featuring presentations by the Sofis Solutions team as well as special guests.