Cloud Technology and Sustainability: Everything You Need to Know

Cloud technology represents a new frontier in technology and computing. Cloud technology opens new opportunities for storing vast amounts of information at a fraction of the cost. Indeed, enterprises dealing with large amounts of consumer data have benefitted immensely from new cloud deployments, including but not limited to Google Cloud Platform, Microsoft Azure, and Amazon Web Services.

Opening Opportunities for Sustainability in Tech

A leading characteristic of the cloud is the ability to open up opportunities in sustainability. The cloud has played an instrumental role in helping organizations become more sustainable and efficient. Cloud technology facilitates a business case for a more sustainable future by reducing the carbon footprint while fostering research to create a more sustainable and viable future.

There’s no denying that the overarching implications of climate change demand that organizations and corporations do their part in fostering sustainability. For instance, such effects as eroding beachfront, severe changes in weather patterns, and worldwide droughts demand that corporations remain aware of the main drivers of climate change and global warming.

Decarbonizing for the Future

Existing evidence shows that hyper-scale cloud providers such as Amazon, Google, and Microsoft have done their part in decarbonizing their data centers. These companies are keen to spread the news that their data centers use clean energy.

Studies from 450 research show that a move to Amazon Web Services can help organizations reduce their carbon footprints by 88%, even after factoring in the carbon intensity of renewable energy purchases and consumed electricity. Further evidence shows that migrating to the cloud reduces on-premise electricity consumption and associated carbon emissions.

Efficiency for Lower Emissions

Google reports that its cloud data centers are twice as efficient as a typical data center, reinforcing that cloud computing has been a leading player in reducing carbon emissions.

There’s no denying that Google’s robust ML/AI solutions and partners are leveraging Google’s powerful engines to solve critical conservation challenges and deliver world-improving innovations.

Another study finds that Microsoft’s cloud is as much as 95% energy efficient and 98% carbon efficient as typical on-premise solutions. The above statistics prove that cloud computing has played a critical role in reducing carbon emissions and improving energy consumption.

In addition, Microsoft has gone beyond its initiative to create a solution known as Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability. This program aims to help other companies meet their sustainability initiatives by meeting their carbon emission goals.

Ways Cloud Computing Promotes Sustainability

Here are some ways how cloud computing promotes sustainability:

• First and foremost, cloud computing uses the latest, high-tech equipment and machines that do not waste energy to cool their data centers.
• Unlike on-premise solutions, most leading Cloud Service Providers power their data centers with renewable energy like solar panels and wind-powered generators.
• In addition, the cloud helps with sustainability initiatives by reducing the amount of power used to heat up and cool down generators and reducing the hardware and computing power required for this.
• Organizations nowadays are leveraging new technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data to reduce carbon emissions.
• Public-private partnerships are being used to foster sustainability because of the outsourcing capability provided by private organizations. Microsoft, for instance, through its Microsoft Carbon Initiative, continues to help organizations to meet their more resilient carbon emissions thresholds.
• Numerous leading Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) utilize power purchase agreements (PPAs) to ensure a greener supply chain.
• Most leading cloud service providers build their ‘green’ data centers near power-generating facilities. That precisely means they can prevent energy loss from long-distance power transmissions. Enterprises that use on-premise solutions do not have the flexibility or luxury to reduce energy loss over long-distance transmission.
• CSPs have well-planned and well-utilized IT infrastructures allowing other enterprises to stop relying on on-premise data centers. Therefore, when private enterprises partner with CSPs such as Microsoft, Google, and Amazon, they significantly reduce their carbon footprints.
• Cloud-based IT resources provided by cloud providers or leading cloud service providers do not sit idle. These CSPs can achieve economies of scale by lending these resources to tenant enterprises leading to reduced costs.
• In addition, virtualization has allowed cloud service providers to leverage and responsibly utilize the hardware at their disposal. The existence of virtualization helps CSPs reduce overhead hardware costs like ventilation, heating, and cooling.
• When organizations reduce reliance on on-premise hardware, this dematerialization helps to save costs and reduce waste.
• A study showed that when organizations use the right mix of technology, they save energy costs up to $947 billion annually. This cost-efficiency can be a great initiative and incentive for chief financial officers (CFOs) to adopt cloud solutions.

Advanced Tech is Helping Organizations Adopt Sustainable Practices

Today, more than ever, organizations are seeking to adopt sustainable practices. The rising awareness of global carbon emissions and enhanced government and private-sector emphasis on clean energy calls for more pragmatic solutions.

Luckily, advanced equipment and high technology offer opportunities for organizations to go green and cut their carbon emissions. Cloud adoption is a critical first step in reducing carbon emissions and improving sustainability.

With cloud solution providers like Bastionpoint, your organization can leverage the best-in-class cloud solutions and remain at the forefront of sustainability. Working closely with trusted cloud partners helps you tap into the power of sustainability by reducing your carbon footprint.

Reach us today to leverage the power of a unified platform.