Sustainability and cloud computing: The green protocol
By Tshepo Motshegoa, Chief Information Officer at SEACOM
Over the last several years, there has been an increased push to prioritise sustainability in IT and business technologies. Being sustainable in this regard can take several forms and involve different implementations. Just recently, South Africa’s State IT Agency (SITA) included solar requirements in its request for network cabling infrastructure in the latest round of tender offers. The eventual result is ICT infrastructure running on alternative, reliable sources and boasting a lowered carbon footprint.
And then there’s cloud computing. When it comes to “going green”, the power and impact of the cloud extends well beyond its technological role. Cloud computing serves as a vital component of any global initiative and, therefore, carries financial and ethical incentives for any organisation that buys in. In other words, cloud computing can be both a sustainable business practice, and an incentive for businesses to prioritise sustainability.
How can cloud computing be “green”?
As demand for cloud computing continues to skyrocket, there is plenty of scrutiny on the environmental impact of the sector. The cloud now has a carbon footprint greater than the airline industry, with a single data centre consuming the electricity equivalent of 50,000 homes.
But within that challenge lies opportunity. The green benefits of cloud computing extend from the micro all the way to the macro. According to research by McKinsey, the use of cloud-powered technologies can accelerate decarbonisation initiatives around the world. Furthermore, the use of ultra-efficient data centres in the infrastructure mix can result in a significant reduction in IT emissions.
This can be attributed to the cloud offering more efficient computational and storage solutions than on-premise systems, with the environmental impact accounting for the sector’s expansion and ability to support expanded technologies. Moving traditional IT infrastructure to the cloud reduces the number of physical servers needed, while increasing the utilisation of available units.
Furthermore, data centres are being designed and built with key specifications in mind, such as the use of alternative energy sources, like geothermal and solar, water and heat recycling, and the use of IoT and AI-enabled technologies to maintain efficiency. Already, South Africa’s Department of Communications and Digital Technologies has declared it wants data centre providers to reduce their dependency on the national power grid, while the government also considers incentive schemes to encourage energy and water conservation.
An enterprise incentive
Right off the bat, being able to claim that your business prioritises sustainability puts you significantly ahead of the pack. Surveys have shown that sustainability and ESG-related claims can influence brand perceptions, which then influence consumer trust and purchasing behaviour.
By migrating to the cloud, organisations can reduce their on-premise hardware requirements. The use of cloud-based services such as infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) and platforms-as-a-service (PaaS) means that organisations can save upfront costs and lower their overall energy usage. This benefit is then compounded by cloud providers using virtualisation techniques and multi-tenant cloud architecture to break down and share resources among their customers, thus making even more efficient use of these solutions.
Another benefit, and one that many enterprises may not think about, is that less physical hardware results in less electronic waste. Responsible e-waste recycling remains a significant environmental and ethical challenge in South Africa. Therefore, a strategy to address it, one that incorporates cloud migration objectives, becomes central to enterprises achieving their sustainability and emissions reduction targets.
Taking control and embracing responsibility
The business of the future is a cloud-first business. Prioritising the use of cloud computing for all technology-related activities and decision-making is slowly becoming the norm across industries. As such, investments in relevant infrastructure will serve as the backbone of tomorrow’s corporate and operational strategies.
At the same time, those strategies need to be geared towards taking responsibility for the entire organisation, right down to its impact on the environment. As data centres evolve towards achieving carbon neutrality, while leveraging AI-powered solutions, local businesses can make their IT central to their sustainability efforts.