Corporate activism has been around for decades, but with increasingly bleak news about climate change, companies are pushing for more sustainable ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) practices. We’ve all had a recycle bin next to the garbage bin at our desks for years now, but with new technology comes better ways to save the planet. One of the biggest trends of 2022 is going green with cloud computing.
Yes, that’s right.
Cloud computing and sustainability are the latest allies in making the world a better place. If you’re considering migrating your business to the cloud, let this be the final push to make it happen. Not only will it save you money, it will save the trees as well.
How Is Cloud Computing Green?
It may sound counterintuitive, but it’s true: a jumbo cloud server farm is much more energy-efficient than hosting your own onsite servers. How can that be possible?
Think of it this way. If your business needs a huge amount of processing power once a month, your on-prem servers need to be capable of that capacity – at all times. But cloud computing is all about shared resources. The cloud can easily meet your major processing power needs, but when you aren’t utilizing those resources, they are being allocated to another tenant. This multitenancy model is the core of cloud computing. Instead of a thousand companies each managing their own servers, one cloud server farm is meeting the needs of a thousand businesses, with a much smaller carbon footprint.
The cloud model is inherently a smaller environmental impact. But how is cloud computing green?
- More opportunities for renewable energy. Your business may be constrained by location based on the need for local workforce or customers, where implementing wind or solar power may be impossible. Cloud server farms can operate anywhere and can find the ideal real estate for renewable energy infrastructure. In fact, they have high motivation to do so.
- Better ROI for energy-efficient installations. Cloud servers are power-hungry operations. Since energy is one of the biggest expenditures, a server farm can easily realize the return-on-investment needed for energy optimizations like virtualized servers and reducing power during low utilization periods. A small business might not find these optimizations to be cost-effective or may not have the IT resources to implement them.
- Reduced business trips. There will always be a need for the occasional face-to-face meetings, but with apps such as DocuSign, the need for in-person contract signing is gone. Reduced travel saves your company money and saves the environmental impact of transport and lodging.
- Cloud computing enables remote work. Reduced commutes, smaller offices, fewer onsite resources needed – cloud computing enables companies to recapture their overhead spending. The ultimate savings, going fully virtual with no need for an office building at all, is also great way to reduce your carbon footprint.
Tech Giants and Cloud Environmental Impact
The biggest names in cloud services also recognize the benefits of going green. There are legitimate criticisms of how these tech giants approach eco-activism, but there is no denying that they are making significant investments toward sustainability. And they all have their own policies for achieving net-zero carbon emissions:
- Amazon AWS: Amazon is increasingly powered by renewable energy, with a goal of getting 100% of their energy needs from solar and wind power by 2025. They are the largest corporate purchaser of renewables.
- Google Cloud Platform: Google has been carbon neutral since 2007 via renewable energy and purchasing carbon offsets.
- Microsoft Azure: Microsoft has been carbon neutral since 2012 and is committed to being carbon negative by 2030.
With multi-cloud architecture gaining in popularity, this means that the combination of cloud platforms that best support your business are ESG-friendly.
RELATED: 4 Reasons Multi-Cloud Architecture Will Continue to Trend
Climate Change Isn’t the Only Driver for Green Initiatives
Cloud computing and sustainability are more than just altruistic goals. There are more benefits that proactively make your business eco-friendly and reduce your carbon footprint. Staying ahead of the curve by cutting back on energy usage and reducing CO2 emissions will help your business stay in business!
When you help combat the climate crisis, you’re also helping reduce future costs. Climate change side effects are forecast to cost businesses up to $1.26 trillion by 2025, according to a CDP report on climate change. As the report states, “Leaders who manage and reduce environmental risk…will not only be more competitive today, but will be more resilient for the economic shifts of tomorrow.” In addition, any energy-efficient steps you take now will also reduce your overhead energy costs.
Maybe sustainability isn’t high on your priority list. But what about your customers? Over 80% of Millennials and Gen Z want companies to address climate change. Gen Z is quickly becoming a powerful force, now making up 40% of consumers, and 94% of them believe companies should prioritize social and environment issues. By supporting green initiatives, you position yourself to stand out among your competitors.
Lastly, as slow as the government is to get things done, things are happening with regards to climate change. Emerging regulations target corporate carbon footprints, and the response to noncompliance is hefty fines.
Going green with cloud computing is more than just a good idea, it has powerful benefits for your bottom line. So, are you ready to start your migration to the cloud?
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Virtual Systems Will Guide You to Greener Commerce
If you’re interested in cloud computing and sustainability, and you’re ready to learn more about how ESG practices can help your business grow, we’re here to help. The VSystems team can guide your cloud migration to achieve cost savings today and a greener tomorrow.
Our team is here to support your cloud migration, no matter what your motivations are for doing so. Fill out our short contact form and take a step towards greater sustainability.
References
Urs, H. (2020, Feb 27). “Data centers are more energy efficient than ever.” Google. Retrieved from https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/sustainability/data-centers-energy-efficient/
Cone Communications. (2017). 2017 Cone Gen Z CSR Study: How to Speak Z. Cone Communications. Retrieved from https://www.conecomm.com/2017-cone-gen-z-csr-study-pdf
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