Globally there is much talk nowadays of looking at new technologies that reduce our dependence on scarce resources causing damage to the environment in turn.
Could switching to cloud be green as well as being cost effective? I think the answer is yes.
As someone who is “switched on” to green and environmental issues, energy consumption isn’t the only environmental factor that should be taken into account. However, energy is hugely important and reducing its use as far as we possibly can will not only benefit the world, it will also make people think about how best to use the limited resources we have available.
So, that’s where cloud computing comes into its own. First of all, with businesses becoming less reliant on using their own in-house servers and so on, using cloud doesn’t just save money – it also reduces the amount of energy consumed.
Furthermore, adopting Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS) strategies also facilitates better IT management.
Of course, while companies who have up to now become reliant on traditional offline software will benefit from switching, there is an economic downside for the traditional software developers. That said, if these particular service companies have anything about them they would start to develop online versions instead. In turn, they too can help contribute towards a green IT community.
Going green, however, is something of an uphill struggle at the moment, so perhaps the best approach to this is to focus on the economic benefits first. Afterwards, once these are firmly established the green agenda can be easily slipped in.
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