How cloud migration can help you meet sustainability targets

In today's world, sustainability is a hot potato – perhaps the hottest of them all. It's an issue that's commanding the attention and resources of everyone from national governments to city mayors, from public service providers to private enterprises. 

Back in 2020, 80%of companies had SDGs (sustainable development goals). Environmental issues aren't going anywhere – so that number will only increase as the years go by. 

If you run or work for an enterprise, you've probably got several policies in place already. Perhaps you're hot on recycling and carpooling. Or maybe you're committed to cutting paper waste by digitising the majority of your internal comms. 

But how about cloud migration? 

Ask someone to list the advantages of cloud migration, and you'll probably hear about its cost-effectiveness and its ability to streamline and centralise business operations. 

But can shifting more apps and data to the cloud make your company greener, too? 

If it seems counter-intuitive, that's because cloud technologies are only possible because of data centres – and these remain, indisputably, big energy-guzzlers. 

But in terms of managing your own carbon footprint, cloud migration can be a key plank in your green agenda – and certainly a greener way of doing business than relying on an on-premise data centre. 

Harness renewable energy 

If you have an on-premise data centre, we're going to guess that you're not fully reliant on renewable energy. In the context of sustainability, that means room for improvement.

Cloud providers don't have spotless green records. Their hyper-facilities are big consumers of electricity and water. But on the other hand, the biggest of the bunch are "some of the largest purchasers of renewable energy". 

That's according to David Mytton, Environmental Technology MSc student at Imperial College London. He goes on: 

"Although it does not guarantee that all energy going into a data centre is renewable, due to the power mix of the local grid, [large cloud providers] can at least match their electricity usage with purchases of renewables elsewhere. 

"Google has been doing this since 2017 and both Microsoft and Amazon will do it by 2025. In the meantime, Google and Microsoft are already carbon neutral through purchasing offsets." 

On top of that, there are initiatives like Microsoft's Project Natick, which has successfully deployed subsea data centres. These don't need cooling – that job is done by the sea itself. 

Then there's Amazon's use of recycled water for cooling and Google's use of AI to reduce cooling costs by 40%. 

The other thing to remember is that these huge data centre facilities are being used by an equally huge number of individuals and companies. 

If every business in Belgium (let's say) had its own on-premise data centre, that would be far less sustainable than if they all used a cloud provider. 

It's the same principle as using an electricity grid rather than having your own private generator. The resources are shared among multiple users, which increases efficiency. 

Cut down on paper 

It would be a sad world without paper – the stuff of journals, birthday cards and love letters. 

But will a finance officer really miss paper payslips? Will anyoneworking for a company miss box files, filing cabinets and lever arch folders? 

It's not just that those mountains of paper need to be kept somewhere – and that the more you have, the harder it is to navigate. 

It's also that paper production is pretty bad for the environment. 

Using cloud-based tools for documentation allows you to go fully paperless – slashing your carbon emissions as well as creating space in your branch or home office. 

Cut down on "e-waste" 

Paper isn't the only waste that companies produce. There's also the phenomenon of "e-waste" or electronic waste. 

This is anything with a plug or battery – and it's filling up landfill all the time. 

The UN has reported that the world will produce 74 tonnes of e-waste each year – and less than 40%of e-waste produced by the EU gets recycled at all. 

Your on-premise data centre is a breeding ground for e-waste. Shifting your data and apps off-premises and onto the cloud means you can give your facilities a spring clean – and stay on track with your sustainability targets. 

Remote working 

The COVID-19 pandemic didn't invent cloud migration – but it certainly gave it a massive push. 

Global lockdowns meant that remote working was a necessity, not – in most cases – a choice. The FT reportedhow office space in England shrank by millions of square feet – and it was the same story pretty much everywhere. 

Emerging from the pandemic, remote or hybrid working has become the norm. It's one of the few pandemic-induced innovations that we've held on to as a positive change. 

Cloud computing allows your teams to access what they need from any location – whether that's a home office, an armchair or the backseat of a rickshaw.

All you need is a secure internet connection and access permission. Other than that, the world's your oyster and the sky's the limit. 

Cloud computing is the foundation of remote working. Without it, your national post service would collapse under the strain. 

Remote working can have a positive impact on productivity and employee well-being. But it's also better for the planet. 

Travel is a huge contributor to a company's carbon footprint – whether it's the emissions produced by commuting or through getting everyone in the same place for a meeting. 

Embracing hybrid working means you can slash your travel costs – a move that could help you meet your sustainability targets. 

Root out obsolete workloads 

Do you have a drawer at home that's filled with rusty batteries, snapped pencils and electronic cables of uncertain origin? 

Most companies have a digital equivalent – data and software that once served a purpose but is now just taking up space and CPU. 

In practice, that means carbon. By rooting out your obsolete workloads, you can make your company greener than ever before. 

Based in Cork, Ireland, Ascend specialises in VMware cloud solutions and consultancy. To find out more, please don't hesitate to get in touch.