There is a lot we can say about the poor sustainability of traditional computing methods in the IT industry. In the digital era of our lifetime, many businesses expanded their operations, which required them to invest in more efficient technologies such as on-premise infrastructure. There is nothing wrong about growing as a business, but do we actually think of how environmentally friendly is having in-house computing equipment that is running round the clock for your company only?

Unfortunately, the answer to this question is not too positive from the point of view of sustainability. Having multiple PCs or servers running in-house at all times increases your company’s carbon footprint immensely! In this article, we discuss why cloud desktop solutions are a lot more environmentally friendly alternative due to the higher energy savings and the better cost-effectiveness associated with these services.

How do you save on energy?

When speaking of greener alternatives, energy use comes to mention immediately. By running your desktop applications from a cloud-hosted server, you are reducing the amount of energy used by your company substantially. According to a recent evaluation of the energy consumption in the US, traditional data centers of the individual companies are said to use electricity next to 100 billion kWh per year. This is really an enormous energy use from organizations, which can be easily avoided through innovative cloud computing alternatives. It has been estimated that cloud-hosted solutions could reduce this striking number in energy use down to 10 billion kWh per annum.

How is the cloud a greener alternative?

The answer to that is fairly simple. The infrastructures of the cloud servers in data locations are significantly more efficient when it comes to energy use. They are built according to the modern industry standards for greener technology and innovation. How these servers operate is by getting mixes of power instead of traditional petroleum fuels. These new energy sources are well-known for being more carbon-friendly and for using other renewable energy sources in combination.

Low on carbon

In-house data centers are knowingly a big energy expense for companies, resulting in a greater greenhouse gas emission in the atmosphere. Operating these costly facilities usually requires a large power outlet to feed the server machines during set-up and running times. One may also forget to think about the energy use associated with maintenance and disposal of on-premise server architecture. All of these add up into one expensive operation that imposes a lot of strain on the environment due to the high energy use at every stage. Environmentally responsible companies can take measures to reduce their carbon footprint by choosing greener alternatives such as cloud computing technologies.

 

Cloud servers are more efficient

If you have done your research on the topic, you may have figured out already that private data centers are very challenging and costly to operate. One of the main reasons for that is the reduced utilization of these, which almost never get to run at maximum capacity. Cloud computing solutions on the contrary are more energy scarce and with better efficiency overall, since they are running 24/7 at the highest utilization rates. This immediately makes them a more sustainable alternative, which is also more cost-effective for companies that can’t afford to run fully efficient data centers or cover the recurring maintenance costs. Virtual desktop solutions like DaaS give small and mid-sized businesses the chance to outsource their desktop environment without having to commit to expensive long-term investments and high energy consumption.

 

Every company can take advantage of the cloud

The benefits of using cloud computing solutions go beyond practicality, better sustainability policies, and cost-effectiveness. By choosing cloud-hosted solutions your business can be fully flexible and run from anywhere, provided that your end-users have stable internet connectivity. We already discussed in facts and stats how much more environmentally friendly it is for companies to utilize cloud-based solutions rather than set up and run their own on-premise technology. This means a lot not only when it comes down to the tangible benefits for your company, but also when we speak of adding value globally. Being an environmentally conscious company can be a great and positive asset that boosts the status of your organization, pointing to your higher merits.

 

Why choose a greener alternative?

Choosing to be a more environmentally friendly company is a path that does not require much from your organization these days. Cloud computing solutions are greener, more flexible and a better investment overall which more companies are utilizing with each and every day.