The Net Zero Roadmap: Achieving Sustainable IT with 2GoCloud and Losingthewires

• The pressure to meet corporate Net Zero targets while managing tight hardware budgets has left IT leaders stuck in an expensive upgrade cycle.

• Traditional procurement models rely on replacing entire hardware fleets every three to five years, generating high capital expenditure and massive amounts of e-waste.

• The XTNDIT framework, from Losingthewires, offers a circular alternative by repurposing Windows hardware into secure, high-speed cloud terminals.

• By pairing repurposed hardware with 2GoCloud, organisations can run intensive enterprise applications on older devices without compromising performance.

• Introducing the interactive Replace, Repurpose & Reclaim calculator, a data-driven tool to model exact financial and environmental savings.

Managing an enterprise IT fleet has become a balancing act. On one side is the pressure to cut capital costs and find operational efficiencies. On the other is the corporate mandate to achieve strict environmental targets, including the vital push toward Net Zero.

Historically, these two goals have been at odds. Standard procurement logic dictates that keeping up with modern cloud applications requires continuously upgrading physical hardware. When devices reach their traditional retirement age, they are written off, creating a dual penalty of wasted budget and toxic e-waste.

This conflict is why forward-thinking organisations are moving away from traditional replacement cycles and toward sustainable, circular IT models.

Why hardware replacement struggles in a green economy

The traditional take-make-waste procurement model was standard practice for decades. It allowed organisations to ensure performance and maintain control over complex systems. But this approach is heavy. It generates significant e-waste and demands a large carbon footprint for the manufacturing of new machines, known as embedded carbon.

For procurement teams, the financial experience often creates friction. Spending significant capital to replace hardware that is structurally sound but struggles with modern, bloated local operating systems is inefficient. This is the procurement ceiling. 

Replacing the whole device no longer makes sense when the real requirement is simply to access the cloud applications safely. This is especially true for specialised field equipment, such as non-Windows 11-compatible rugged tablets or convertibles, where like-for-like replacement costs can skyrocket to £3,000 or £4,000 per unit.

The Repurposing Framework: The XTNDIT Solution

The partnership provides a highly flexible commercial route to unlock value from your existing hardware assets. Whichever operational track is chosen, the initial setup begins with a collaborative process: agreeing security policies, required application links, and specific configuration items for the devices.

Compatible with conventional/rugged laptops, convertible units, Windows tablets, and desktop computers, the XTNDIT framework acts as an evolutionary bridge, repurposing Windows assets into secure, cloud-managed Chromium OS web clients. While these repurposed units will no longer run heavy local Windows software, they gain fast, secure access to web apps and core enterprise systems via the cloud, alongside select Android applications (such as Microsoft Dynamics Field Service, which offers offline operational capabilities for field workers).

Organisations can select the operational delivery track within the XTNDIT framework that best fits their style:

• Assisted Setup: Designed for organisations that prefer to manage their own estate. Losingthewires undertakes the technical repurposing of the hardware and can optionally perform physical refurbishment activities to extend the unit's mechanical lifespan. Additionally, Losingthewires can optionally set up the management environment and provide a comprehensive training and support handover to internal teams and even end-users.

• Fully Managed Service: A complete, hands-off lifecycle solution where Losingthewires handles the initial technical repurposing, deploys the units, and places the entire estate under active management for a fixed, predictable monthly fee.

This is why the framework is a breakthrough for sustainable IT. It maintains the absolute security and speed modern teams expect but adds the agility of a circular asset strategy that aligns directly with the Losingthewires 2040 Net Zero commitment and SME Climate Hub targets.

How the combination changes the experience for real users

Where ageing hardware slows down and creates friction for users, the joint 2GoCloud and Losingthewires approach turns the physical machine into a high-speed cloud terminal. Instead of fighting with local processing bottlenecks, users interact with a refined display layer.

Because the underlying software layer handles the heavy lifting, older devices gain enterprise-grade enhancements that traditional legacy virtual desktop setups cannot offer, such as:

• No-code mobilisation: Legacy enterprise systems run flawlessly on repurposed units without a single line of code being rewritten.

• Optimised streaming acceleration: Built-in hardware optimisation ensures that 2GoCloud’s ultra-secure, interactive application layer streams seamlessly with crisp video and real-time audio performance.

• Zero-data streaming: For cloud-delivered enterprise applications via 2GoCloud, no corporate data, local files, or sensitive credentials are ever stored or cached on the endpoint device. Where local Android apps are deployed for offline field use, data management remains strictly bound by enterprise security policies.

• Extended lifecycle: Viable hardware stays in active service, significantly delaying expensive asset refresh cycles.

Traditional Replacement vs 2GoCloud/XTNDIT Repurposing: The practical differences

Feature	Traditional Replacement	2GoCloud/XTNDIT Repurposing
Primary Focus	Procurement (Buying New Hardware)	Asset Extension (Repurposing Fleets)
Environmental Load	High e-waste and high embodied carbon	Low waste, contributing to Net Zero goals
Financial Type	High capital expenditure (CapEx) with steep £3k–£4k cycles for rugged tablet upgrades.	Low cost, turning old assets into thin clients via Assisted Setup or Fully Managed Service models.
Security Layer	Vulnerable local operating systems	FIPS 140-2 encrypted streaming with zero local data for cloud sessions, alongside secure containerisation for offline Android apps.
Licence Model	High software and upgrade overheads	Single 2GoCloud licence per user per year which allows up to 5 devices to be used within the same licence

Why leaders use the Replace, Repurpose & Reclaim calculator

Define your hardware

The interactive calculator allows decision-makers to move away from guesswork by setting exact unit purchase costs, setup times, and energy consumption rates. It models the true reality of your current IT estate across all form factors, from desktops to field tablets.

Model your workforce

Users can select their specific number of users, choose their preferred device mix, and set adoption rates across a multi-year model to map out a phased transition.

Set the environment

The tool factors in local variables including energy tariffs and carbon prices, allowing financial directors to see the reduction in electricity costs alongside total carbon offsets.

Replace, Repurpose & Reclaim Calculator

The future is sustainable

The industry is moving beyond short hardware lifecycles and rigid procurement models. The next decade belongs to sustainable deployment models that prioritise speed, financial efficiency, and carbon reduction without the weight of continuous hardware manufacturing.

Whether deploying via the Assisted Setup or Fully Managed Service track, the XTNDIT framework represents that future. It is lighter, greener, and highly cost-effective. 2GoCloud and Losingthewires are not just tech providers. They are the architects of the sustainable IT era.

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