Reduce your Carbon Footprint by moving to the Cloud

We have all read about the importance of working towards reducing our impact on the environment. Recycling is one we are all familiar, blue bins are now part of our weekly routine but what about decreasing your businesses impact on the environment?

Going green is no longer just a buzz word for a minority in society, it’s fast becoming a core focus for governments and large corporations across the globe. Like all initiatives that start at these high levels they eventually filter their way down to all departments of government and corporations.

Another buzz word is the Cloud but did you know that by switching to the Cloud you are also able to be more environmentally friendly which will count towards your businesses ESG (Environmental Social and corporate Governance) rating.

There are also numerous performance benefits for your business by embracing the Cloud and you can read more about that here.

Below are five reasons why the above may make sense to you and your business while simultaneously lessen your impact on the environment.

1. More efficient Infrastructure

The vast majority of Cloud service providers are located close to power generation facilities. This means there is a significant reduction in line loss (essentially wasted power). In addition Cloud service providers use less wattage to facilitate cooling and back up power. At the end of the day these providers are businesses and look at providing the best level of service for the most efficient cost, power is a core component so by being more efficient when it comes to consumption by default that are lessening their impact on the environment.

Question: Was this a consideration for your business when you installed your first server?

2. Utilisation

Depending on your business you undoubtedly fall into two categories when it come to utilisation. It’s either your server(s) are over utilised and your business suffers the negative impact of this or it is under-utilised and you are paying to power and cool something you aren’t using. In both instances you are losing either productivity or resources to pay for something that isn’t being used. Cloud adoption eliminates both of these issues while also lessening the impact your business has in the environment. The cloud tends to be 2 to 4 times more efficient than on premise servers due to high utilisation.

3. New Hardware

No doubt you have replaced your server(s) which tends to result in delays, particularly since COVID, which is accompanied with a high cost. If you hold off on this refresh you are not able to realise the benefits of the constant innovation in hardware development, of which power efficiency is a core focus. Cloud providers are constantly upgrading their hardware to ensure they are operating at the most optimal level in terms of service while also reducing their power consumption.

4. Reduced Power Consumption

Maintaining your own server(s) is simply not as a efficient as Cloud services as outside of the above benefits this isn’t your core business it is simply a function of your business. By relocating the tools and software your business uses.

5. Reduce your Climate Impact

It’s clear to see from the above that Cloud service providers are working to reduce power consumption which by extension reducing its clients impact on the environment. According to AWS “the average corporate data center has a dirtier power mix than the typical large-scale cloud provider.” AWS, in combination with other cloud providers, use a 28% less carbon-intense power mix. By use energy efficient hardware Cloud Providers are eliminating wasteful spending, while simultaneously looking at alternative green power sources to power a high percentage of their consumption needs.

Ok so now you know how cloud limits businesses environmental impact. You also know how the Cloud can improve productivity in your business, if you want to know more on this point then read our article here.

Still wondering why this is important to your business?

ESG is fast becoming a main stay across all sectors. Banks are now looking to know businesses ESG stance and performance, maybe some of your clients have already asked and to top it off the Government has made sustainability a key part of its investment imitative. There are many organisations across the country that provide grants to assist businesses go green and when there is this amount of attention and investment it’s clear it is something that’s here to stay.

Contact Onyx today to learn more about the benefits of adopting Cloud Services and how you can do your part for the environment.