Cloud Computing is not only cost efficient and flexible, but it's also environmentally friendly.
1. Reduces Energy Use
Few people understand the amount of power you need to operate an on-site data center. You need a constant power supply for your server, a cooling system to avoid overheating, and when equipment lifecycle ends, you have to dispose of them –adding to e-waste. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) affirms that data centers consume approximately 1.8% of the overall energy consumption in the US each year. This translates to around 70 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. The number is projected to increase to 73 billion kilowatt-hours by 2020.
Cloud computing reduces these figures significantly. Research funded by Google and conducted by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in conjunction with Northwestern University revealed that transitioning commonly used software applications to the cloud would cut energy use by 87%. The saved energy could be used to power Los Angeles for a year. The study further affirmed that data center energy consumption would drop by 31% between 2010 and 2020 as more and more organizations shift to cloud computing. Notably, by reducing energy use, businesses can save 60-85% in energy costs.
2. Decrease Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions
Cloud computing cuts the amount of GHG emitted from data centers. A traditional on-site data center produces GHG throughout its life cycle including:
· Producing raw materials for the equipment
· Assembling the equipment
· Transporting the equipment to the on-site data center
· Using the equipment
· Disposing off the equipment when its lifecycle ends
Cloud decreases the rate of carbon emissions by reducing energy requirement and consumption. A CDP report contends that offsite cloud-based services can reduce annual carbon emissions by 85.7 million metric tons.
3. Dematerialization
Cloud computing makes a positive contribution to sustainability through dematerialization. Dematerialization refers to the replacement of high-carbon physical products with virtual equivalents. This helps to reduce energy use and carbon footprint. Cloud services encourage people to use virtual services like video streaming as opposed to resource-heavy physical products such as video players and media.
Migrating to the cloud means that you use fewer machines and hardware that use less energy and have a lower impact on the environment. Consequently, companies have lower energy bills and freed up capital to allocate to profitable projects. Cloud services help firms focus their time and effort on other tasks instead of daily IT tasks and issues.
Remarkably, by reducing physical products –equipment and hardware, cloud computing reduces the amount of waste emanating from the disposal of these products. Additionally, cloud computing helps organizations go paperless with the help of cloud storage options. With cloud-based technologies like DocuSign, you don’t have to print documents to sign them. You just do it with a few clicks. Also, you don’t need to store paper documents because all documents are stored safely and securely in the cloud. By going paperless, you reduce the need to dispose of documents that has a negative environmental impact.
4. Data Center Efficiency
Today, more than ever, sustainability is crucial to business success and survival. Sustainability is leading the way to attain an eco-friendly and low carbon society. Cloud computing operates with greater efficiency than on-premises data centers. This results in efficient use of IT resources that have a positive outcome for the environment. Cloud computing is based on the concept of sharing services and hence maximizing the effectiveness of resources. Cloud computing centers use advanced technologies that are energy efficient. They use less energy for lighting, cooling, and power conditioning resulting in energy savings.
