Every business today is going green and for many good reasons. Most governments are incentivizing sustainable business and entrepreneurs have realized the importance of green business practices. Green business not only saves you on cost of operations but also enhances energy efficiency. One of the latest additions to green business is cloud computing.
According to Forester Research businesses will be using close to $160 billion in 2020 in cloud computing services by 2020 a 22% growth from $25.5 billion in 2011. The cloud offers better pricing, better scalability as your business expands, and cost-saving as you don’t have to invest in on-site infrastructure.
While cloud computing has not largely featured as an energy efficient computing technology it is important to examine how it fits the bill.
Here are four reasons making the cloud a green technology:
- Resource Virtualization
Virtualization in deployment of cloud-based infrastructure enables businesses to use one physical server to run different operating systems. This in turn reduces multiple-server imprint in terms of energy efficiency which is one of the main tenets in the green initiative. With consolidation of operations less space and fewer machines are needed in your company and this in turn averts dumping of e-waste in future form your office.
- Automation Technology
Cloud based infrastructure relies on automation to maximize energy and resources efficiency. Through automation software it is possible to provide and scale workload within shared data centers. IT specialists are able to push the limits of traditional utilization and consolidation limits. The higher the ratios the less physical hardware is required and this directly contributes to energy efficiency and resource optimization.
- Multi-tenancy
A common cloud-based infrastructure allows different organizations in the public cloud or departments within your business are able to share this important infrastructural resource. With time the troughs and peaks of computer needs even out which again translates to more energy efficiency and reduced e-waste from your facility.
When used in combination with automation software multi-tenancy ensures fewer physical machines are required for operations. Businesses benefit from economies of scale and more importantly they are able to use their resources more efficiently.
- Pay-Per-Use And Self-Service
One thing that is greatly criticized in the green initiative is lack of rationing of resources by businesses. With cloud computing it is now possible to pay for just that your business needs. This pay-as-you-go model is ideal encourages reasonable consumption of the space that you need which leads to energy savings.
Life-cycle management also improves with pay-per-user and self-service as your business only takes up the infrastructure it needs for a particular operation. When the infrastructure is no longer in need it is turned over to another user which reduces wastage especially of the energy resource.
Oracle marketing services provide an important green solution for marketers with all the benefits of the cloud. These services are optimized to help your brand orchestrate marketing campaigns across multiple online platforms. You are able to enjoy a green business solution while still implementing custom marketing solutions for your business.
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Christine Raju is a computing guru who consults at Lister Technologies and blogs on topical issues in this field. She is also a motivational speaker and an avid art collector.