Sustainability is one of the most important topics in business today and companies around the world are implementing policies to reduce their environmental impact and increase the sustainability of their operations. Migrating from on-premise hardware and infrastructure to cloud-based solutions is one factor that can have a big impact on carbon footprint to promote a greener and more sustainable future.
Increase Energy Efficiency
Cloud hosting offered by hyperscalers, such as AWS, provides superior energy efficiency by using advanced technologies and economies of scale to optimise energy use. Consolidating computing resources and high utilisation rates enables large cloud datacentres to achieve greater energy efficiency and reduce their environmental impact. This is in contrast to on-premise infrastructure, which consumes large amounts of energy for cooling and running servers, and if housed in older buildings inadequate insulation may cause inefficient energy use.
Reduce Carbon Emissions
Global hyperscalers have committed to using renewable energy sources for their datacentres, which reduces their carbon emissions and environmental impact. In 2022, 90% of the electricity consumed by Amazon was attributable to renewable energy sources and they have committed to powering their operations with 100% renewable energy by 2025 as part of their commitment to reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. Multiple studies carried out by 451 Research have found that by moving on-premise workloads to AWS can reduce customers’ workload carbon footprints by nearly 80%, and up to 96% once AWS is powered by 100% renewable energy.
Decrease Electronic Waste
Traditional IT infrastructure has a set lifespan before it becomes obsolete, which means that it requires regular upgrades and replacements over time. This leads to significant amounts of discarded IT equipment that has to go somewhere. Some of this can be recycled but a lot of it can’t so it ends up in landfill. Cloud hosting removes the need for extensive on-site hardware and infrastructure, as the cloud provider manages and maintains this, which has a significant impact on the amount of electronic waste produced by companies.
Efficient Resource Utilisation
One of the biggest negatives about on-premises infrastructure is the need to overprovision resources at the outset, meaning that for the first couple of years companies are paying for more than they need. The scalability of the cloud means that cloud servers can dynamically adjust their resources based on demand, so customers are not paying for unused resources. This flexibility contributes to more sustainable IT operations and ensures that energy and resources are not wasted.
Facilitate Remote Working and Reduce Commuting
The world of work has changed dramatically in the past few years, expedited by the Covid-19 pandemic. We saw that many companies, whose traditional set-up meant that employees were commuting to their jobs every day, could still function as normal with staff working remotely – as long as they could access their key systems using cloud technology. The adoption of cloud technology facilitates remote work, as employees can work from anywhere, reducing the need for commuting, which results in lower fuel consumption and reduced vehicle emissions. This then contributes to improved air quality and decreased traffic congestion. Of course, there will never be a time when all jobs can be done remotely but for those who can work from anywhere, the cloud has transformed their working lives as well as having a significant environmental impact.
Innovation
Global hyperscalers are at the forefront of innovation in developing sustainable practices that increase the efficiency of their datacentres. Advanced cooling methods using natural resources and renewable energy, or artificial intelligence to optimise cooling efficiency, set standards for the industry and encourage other sectors to follow suit. Cloud providers also regularly publish sustainability reports, which promote transparency and accountability in their environmental efforts and keep the subject of sustainability at the forefront of peoples’ minds.
Conclusion
There are numerous benefits to cloud hosting which help companies to become more sustainable, reducing their carbon emissions and increasing energy efficiency. The global drive towards sustainability is not going to slow down and with large companies increasingly having to report on their emissions and meet sustainability targets, which we fully expect will be rolled out to smaller companies over time, migrating to the cloud will only help this. Using a global hyperscaler, such as AWS, gives companies confidence in the knowledge that they are striving towards a more sustainable and eco-friendly future as a direct benefit of the investment that they put into sustainability. This is just one of the reasons why Cloud4Partners chose AWS for our purpose-built hosting platform for SAP Business One. Contact us now to find out more about how AWS and Cloud4Partners can help your customers strive to a more sustainable future by using our cloud platform for their SAP Business One solution.