Cloud Computing’s Environmental Impact: Another great reason to use cloud computing for your business.
Cloud computing uses much less energy, and is a greener alternative, to traditional methods of information technology and computer use.
By consolidating pictures, videos, e-mails and documents on remote backup servers, businesses save more energy than by keeping them on personal computers. Cloud computing’s efficiency and customizability reduces the use of energy.
Using cloud computing and remote backup servers can also cut carbon emissions.Accenture.com, in their 2010 study titled – Cloud Computing and Sustainability: The Environmental Benefits of Moving to the Cloud (http://www.accenture.com/sitecollectiondocuments/pdf/accenture_sustainability_cloud_computing_theenvironmentalbenefitsofmovingtothecloud.pdf)–
pointed to these factors that enable cloud computing to lower energy use and carbon emissions:
Dynamic Provisioning: Reducing wasted computing resources through better matching of server capacity with actual demand.
Multi-Tenancy: Flattening relative peak loads by serving large numbers of organizations and users on shared infrastructure.
Server Utilization: Operating servers at higher utilization rates.
Data Center Efficiency: Utilizing advanced data center infrastructure designs that reduce power loss through improved cooling, power conditioning, and more.
Published in early 2014, Fujitsu and The Economist Intelligence Unitalso statethat “cloud computing derives its energy efficiency gains from four key elements: reduced carbon generation, improved infrastructure, efficient computing, and resource management.”- https://www.fujitsu.com/es/Images/wp-eiu-impact-of-cloud.pdf
A cloud vendor should be able to relay an understanding of their use of greener technologies to business owners. Energy consumption is a concern for most business owners, forboth environmental and economic reasons as business costs continue to rise. When a business stores its own data on their premises using their own computers, a surprising amount of energy is wasted. The computers are constantly running, yet the computers do not use their full potential for storage and software use. Thus, energy is consumed that is not beneficial to the business.With cloud computing, and remote backup servers, various businesses can share the hardware, thus allowing more energy efficient use of the machines. Businesses that use cloud services instead of purchasing multiple copies of their software also help the environment by limiting waste. These advantages allow for lower costs, as less hardware, software, and support are required.
Essential Data Services uses state-of-the-art IBM software to manage their cloud services, to ensure access to applications and data are available to customers 24x7x365, and toprovide a cloud platform with endless possibilities. We have the technology to “cloud” a client’s entire network of applications, databases, files, and programs. We can help you and your business. Read our company’s bi-weekly blog, or find out more at essentialdata.ca.
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