Why Cloud Computing is Better for the Environment

Why Cloud Computing is Better for the Environment 

 

These days, businesses can choose from an increasingly diverse range of IT provisions and suppliers depending on their business needs, objectives, and values. Delivering everything a business needs, such as storage of data, key business applications and systems, all over the Internet or ‘cloud’, Cloud computing is quickly becoming the lynchpin of the business world, with an increasing number of businesses choosing to opt for a cloud-based IT solution.  

There are many reasons why cloud computing is quickly becoming the favourite solution for companies across a range of sectors; it offers inherent scalability, flexibility, and agility, all whilst reducing the cost and hassle of maintaining physical on-site hardware. Yet cloud computing doesn’t stop there. On top of all these business benefits, cloud computing is also better for the environment, making it a smart choice for the planet, as well as your business. 

In this article, we’ll be taking a closer look at why cloud computing is better for the environment than on-site IT provision and why your business should consider going cloud-first with Elite Group IT. 

How is Cloud Computing Better for the Environment?

 

Increase Energy Efficiency  

When you opt for a cloud computing solution, all your data is hosted off-site in a giant data centre that’s operated by your chosen provider such as Amazon, Microsoft, or Google. Sometimes the size of football fields, these data centres are capable of housing countless servers within their racks, allowing businesses to access these resources via the Internet. Whilst it’s easy to assume these structures guzzle energy, they’re actually more efficient than hosting on premises, which require constant power for servers. With cloud computing, however, you only use the resources you need, when you need them, ensuring no energy is wasted on unnecessary services. 

Global hosting providers are always looking to improve efficiency, using virtualisation and consolidation to optimise energy usage and ensure these shared data centres are energy efficient. Indeed, Microsoft Azure cloud platform claims to be 93% more efficient than on-site data centres, making cloud computing the smart solution for businesses looking to reduce maintenance and waste less energy.  Additionally, Microsoft have made a pledge to be carbon negative, water positive and zero waste by 2030.

Lower Greenhouse Gas Emissions 

If commercial cloud computing reduces energy waste through improved efficiency, then it certainly helps to lower greenhouse gas emissions, particularly carbon dioxide. Private data centres require a lot of electricity to power their servers and cooling system; electricity that is often generated through burning fossil fuels and releasing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. This, of course, not only contributes to air pollution, but also to the climate crisis that we, as a planet, are currently facing. On-site data centre provision is therefore no longer the sustainable or green option.  

For businesses actively looking to decrease their carbon emissions, cloud computing is certainly an option you should consider. Switching to a shared cloud solution can help lower your businesses overall carbon footprint. Indeed, research carried out by Microsoft estimates that their Azure cloud solution is also up to 98% more carbon-efficient than on-premises solutions, thanks to optimised energy usage and shared resources.  

Promotes Dematerialisation  

Dematerialisation refers to the process in which once physical objects are made obsolete (or less efficient) through digital technology. Thanks to improvements made in technology and the increasingly online lives we lead, dematerialisation has been steadily occurring in every industry for years now. Where we once had DVDs, we now have Amazon Prime, Netflix and other streaming platforms. CDs? Why use them when we have Spotify?    

It takes resources and energy to produce physical items, whether it’s a humble CD or advanced office hardware; resources that are often drawn from our planet’s already dwindling stock. With all your office IT resources hosted in an off-site commercial data centre, you can be sure that you have everything you need to run your businesses, without having to invest in physical, high-carbon equipment. Cloud-based solutions can therefore not only save your company money on hardware and time on on-site IT maintenance, but also energy, resources, and carbon emissions throughout the lifecycle of your IT provision.  

Utilises Renewable Energy 

For all their energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reductions, commercial data centres still use some electricity derived from fossil fuels. The good news, however, is that cloud providers have made significant commitments to increasingly power their data centres with green and renewable energy. Indeed, Microsoft’s data centres are already run on more than 60% renewable energy, with the goal of achieving 100% by 2025. Google are currently carbon neutral (meaning they currently invest in carbon offsets) and aims to be carbon-negative by 2030 and by 2050, they’ll remove their historical emissions since their founding in 1975.

If the major cloud computing providers stick to their environmental pledges and targets, some of the world’s biggest data centres will be increasingly powered by renewable energies. In the meantime, your business can take pride in the fact that your cloud-based IT service is already doing more for the planet than on-site alternatives, allowing your business to benefit from a decreased carbon footprint and greener ways of working.   

Go Cloud-First with Elite Group IT 

It’s safe to say that the age of the private data centre is quickly coming to an end; cloud-based technology is no doubt the future of the IT and unified communications industry. As part of our cloud-first strategy, we decided to migrate customers to the Cloud. By investing more in cloud hosting, we’re choosing to future-proof our products and services against redundancy, whilst simultaneously safeguarding our customers from outdated and increasingly obsolete technology. Instead, we’re now able to pass on the benefits of the Cloud to our existing and new customers, offering innovative services All of these things, of course, are essential to surviving and thriving in an increasingly digital world. Embracing new, greener technology is also becoming essential to the survival of our planet.  

By partnering with Elite Group IT, you can ensure that your business IT and cloud computing is in the best possible hands, so you can focus on driving your business forward without worrying whether your business IT can keep up.  

Get in contact today by calling 01624 663333