Sustainability is a driving force for business operations in today’s corporate environment. Firms can no longer afford to (at least openly) put profit before people and the planet.
With new technological advancements daily, firms are looking at how it can be an enabler and help meet their sustainability goals. One of them is eco-friendly cloud computing.
Also Read: Serverless Computing: Key Benefits and Other Considerations
Discover how organizations are promoting eco-friendly cloud computing.
ESG measures mandated by the government force firms to adopt more sustainable practices. Irrespective of that, firms are quickly discovering different ways how being more sustainable actually helps them in the long-term.
Eco-friendly cloud computing is enabled by innovative solutions that help lower a firm’s carbon footprint, decrease unrenewable energy consumption, and limit unnecessary resource use.
Efficient Energy Consumption in Data Centers
Cloud service providers are incorporating and employing more green practices while building hardware. This includes more efficient and advanced cooling technologies and using materials that decrease energy consumption.
For them, achieving optimal use of resources is not just about sustainability, but also becomes a method to save costs. Many strive to achieve the ideal PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) ratio of 1.0, but most are currently between 1.2 and 1.4.
Adoption of Renewable Energy Sources
Firms adopting renewable energy as an alternative for fossil fuels have been in discussion for a while. The goal of completely replacing energy use from nonrenewable sources is taking shape with eco-friendly cloud computing.
Many vendors plan to keep their data centers operational with 100% renewable energy sources.
Green Software Development
Software developers are employing more eco-friendly coding practices. They are writing lean and energy-efficient codes in compiled (rather than interpreted) languages. This keeps the code simple and free of sloppy writing.
Additionally, with the wrong language selection, energy consumption can severely increase. Python and Ruby are quite energy inefficient, while Java and C++ are more energy efficient.
Eco-Friendly Cloud Computing with Server Virtualization
Server virtualization is when the vendor segments the software of the server from the hardware. This allows them to leverage 1 physical server that hosts multiple virtual servers, each with their own OS.
For cloud service providers, this eco-friendly cloud computing solution maximizes resource efficiency by severely decreasing the total number of hardware.
Location of Data Centers
Cloud providers are strategically placing their data centers in colder environments or ones that have abundant access to renewable resources. Data centers are exothermic, and providers are leveraging cooler climates to reduce energy usage.
Managing Piles of E-Waste
Business waste is continuously rising, and E-waste is one of the largest contributors. With the world going digital, there is a greater number of computers, LCD monitors, mobile phones, and more ending up in the garbage piles.
Even outdated hardware that is replaced by cloud vendors is e-waste. But vendors are trying to employ more circular economy practices where waste is a resource.
