The recent hype around cloud computing has taught companies that transitioning to a public cloud can offer them both flexibility and scalability while also reducing costs. By shifting IT operations to a public cloud provider, companies can also decrease their carbon emissions and electricity consumption by eliminating the need for on-premises data centers. Public clouds offer cost savings through various benefits such as increased workload flexibility, improved server utilization rates, and more energy-efficient infrastructure, making them a more efficient choice than enterprise-owned data centers.
Read more: 7 Best Practices to Unleash Full Potential of a Multi-Cloud Strategy
Higher Utilization Rate
Traditionally, companies operate their own private data centers, resulting in low utilization rates due to the purchase and setup of equipment in anticipation of server usage spikes. In contrast, cloud computing consolidates machine usage and operates servers at high utilization rates, increasing efficiency and reducing negative environmental impacts caused by idle hardware in private data centers. Public cloud servers are typically 2 to 4 times more efficient than traditional data centers due to highly utilized infrastructure compared to on-premises data centers, resulting in positive environmental impacts.
Virtualization Enhances Sustainability
While cost savings and increased efficiency are the main drivers of virtualization in business operations, they are not the only benefits. Cloud computing uses virtualization to positively impact environmental sustainability.
Virtualization enables organizations to create multiple virtual machines (VMs) and run numerous applications on a single physical server via a hypervisor, replacing high-carbon physical machines with their virtual equivalents.
Furthermore, cloud computing minimizes hardware, reducing waste from the disposal of outdated IT equipment (e-waste).
Hardware Update Speed
Traditional Data Center hardware often remains in use for extended periods due to the high costs and time required for upgrading servers. In contrast, the hardware in a public cloud typically has significantly higher utilization rates, resulting in a shorter lifecycle and faster refresh time. Regular upgrades are more cost-efficient for public cloud servers, as new technology brings in better energy efficiency. The resulting energy savings are substantial and can be maintained over the long term, leading to a drastic reduction in overall energy consumption.
Also read: Top 5 Reasons Why Multi-Cloud is the New Favorite of CIOs
In a nutshell, incorporating cloud technologies as a crucial element in digital transformation processes and migrating to the cloud represents a significant step towards enhancing sustainability in the tech industry.
