In recent years, there has been a growing awareness of the impact that human activities have on the environment. With this increased awareness, more and more companies are looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint and become more environmentally sustainable. One way that businesses can achieve this goal is by moving their operations to the cloud.
Moving a company’s business to the cloud can have many benefits, including cost savings, improved scalability, and increased flexibility. However, one of the lesser-known benefits of cloud computing is its positive impact on the environment.
In this blog, we will explore why moving a business to the cloud can be beneficial for the environment.
- Energy Efficiency: One of the primary reasons that cloud computing is good for the environment is its energy efficiency. According to Microsoft-WSP Collaborative Study cloud computing is capable of improving energy efficiency by 93% and producing fewer than 98% greenhouse gas emission than on premises IT infrastructure. By using shared computing resources, cloud providers can optimise their data centres’ efficiency and reduce energy consumption. This is because the cloud allows multiple companies to share computing resources, which means that less energy is required to power individual data centres.
- Reduced Carbon Footprint: By reducing energy consumption, moving to the cloud can also help companies reduce their carbon footprint. Cloud providers are increasingly using renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power to power their data centres, and artificial intelligence is also being deployed in some data centres to reduce power consumption (by analysing data output and other important statistics in order to find a way to improve efficiency, drive down costs, and reduce total power consumption, further reducing their environmental impact.
- Reduced E-waste: Cloud computing can also help reduce e-waste, which is a significant environmental problem. When companies store data on their own servers, they must regularly upgrade their hardware to keep up with demand, leading to a significant amount of electronic waste. In contrast, cloud providers are responsible for upgrading and maintaining their hardware, reducing the amount of e-waste generated by individual companies.
- Remote Work: The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the trend of remote work, which can also be beneficial for the environment. By allowing employees to work from home, companies can reduce the need for office space, which can lead to lower energy consumption and reduced carbon emissions from commuting.
- Paperless Operations: Moving to the cloud can also help companies transition to paperless operations. By storing data electronically, companies can reduce their paper usage, which can have a significant environmental impact. Electronic storage can also reduce the need for physical storage space, which can help to minimise a company’s carbon footprint. According to The World Counts, paper production and waste is set to double over the next 40 years adding further pressure to the world’s forests that are already suffering.
In conclusion, moving a company’s business to the cloud can have many environmental benefits, including improved energy efficiency, reduced carbon footprint, reduced e-waste, and the transition to paperless operations. As companies continue to prioritise sustainability and environmental responsibility, cloud computing is likely to become an increasingly popular option.
Want to learn more about how your company can make the steps and move to the cloud? Then get in touch with us today.
