“Cloud” is the new buzzword and businesses are realising that migrating to a public cloud is offering them greater flexibility and scalability while also ensuring reduced costs. Not only does the cloud have clear benefits for the workplace, but it is also environmentally friendly.
An analysis by Accenture shows that by pursuing a green approach, migration to a public cloud can reduce global carbon emissions by 59 million tons of CO2 per year. This number represents a 5.9% reduction in total IT emissions which equates to taking 22 million cars off the road!
There are several reasons why cloud computing is a greener alternative to other on-site technologies:
1. It reduces emissions
Cloud computing can help reduce the Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG) from data centres. Based on a report by AWS, “the average corporate data centre has a dirtier power mix than the typical large-scale cloud provided”. AWS along with other major cloud providers use a 28% less carbon-intense power mix. Furthermore, based on a survey by Accenture, it was found that cloud computing has a substantial effect on carbon emissions; companies can reduce their carbon footprint per user by 30% to 90% if they switched to cloud technology.
2. It reduces energy consumption
Cloud computing provides better energy-efficient alternatives to traditional data centres and on-site tech infrastructures. This is because traditional hardware tech infrastructures are high maintenance, they require very large amounts of continuous electricity, cooling systems and regular maintenance cycles. According to Ehow.com, one server can use between 500 to 1200 watts of electricity per hour. The same report stated that larger data centres use an estimated 200 terawatt-hours (TWh) each year. This figure is more than the national energy consumption of some countries! Cloud computing can dramatically reduce these numbers, a research project by Northwestern University suggested that by transitioning commonly used software applications to the cloud, one would in fact cut energy usage by 87%.
3. It is powered by renewable energy
Many cloud data centres are powered by renewable energy resources, such as - solar energy, wind energy and geothermal energy, which emit little to no greenhouse gases. Amazon Web Services (AWS), one of the leading cloud providers, has launched wind and solar energy projects worldwide, they seek to have 100% renewable energy use by 2025. AWS was also the largest corporate buyer of renewables in 2020. Microsoft Azure is also creating sustainable data centres. It went carbon zero in 2012 and aims to be carbon negative by the end of 2030. Similar to AWS, Azure is also working to be completely reliant on renewable energy sources by 2025.
4. It helps in dematerialisation
Dematerialisation is defined as the replacement of high-carbon hardware and physical components with new, virtual equivalents. Cloud computing helps in the immediate sharing of online resources, which includes sharing digital documents or parts of them, on any device, from anywhere. By shifting to a cloud-computing model, businesses will rely less on hardware and physical technologies, use less energy and reduce environmental impact. The associated environmental sustainability also leads to improved profits from increased efficiencies, reduced costs and improved sales.
5. It ensures better allocation of resources
Businesses using public cloud computing technologies, bypass the need to have on-premise servers to store important company data. This way, businesses have fewer hardware and machinery for their operations. This ensures reductions in costs and operations are made more efficient. Furthermore, traditionally, companies have used their own data centres and have purchased equipment far beyond their needs in anticipation of future spikes in server usage. When this hardware sits idle, which is the usual case with private data centres, it creates poor efficiency and has a negative impact on the environment due to high energy and resource consumption as well as high carbon emissions. On the other hand, public cloud servers tend to be 2 to 4 times more efficient than traditional data centres because of their highly utilised infrastructure.
Migrating to the cloud and making cloud technologies an essential part of digital transformation processes is one of the major steps that will lead to increased sustainability in the tech industry. For a forward-looking, sustainable future, high calibre technology talent that can undertake these transformations is more essential than ever. Savant technology can support you in your process of cloud migration and digital transformation. We are informed by robust market research and are constantly preparing to meet both the demands of the present and the future. To know more about how we can support you with your talent needs, reach out to us at - technology@savantrecruitment.com for a free consultation.
