Using the cloud to drive sustainability goals (Guest blog from NTT Ltd)
Author: Stephen Kelly, UK & Ireland VP for Sustainability, NTT Ltd
Digital transformation puts IT leaders in a unique position to nudge their businesses towards sustainable operations. For any organisation going digital, cloud computing has become the centrepiece IT architecture. That creates significant opportunities to decarbonise.
Instead of expensive, power-hungry, on-premises data centres, businesses use only as much storage and computing capacity as activity levels demand. The need to own and maintain physical hardware disappears, along with the need to power racks of heavy hardware, or arrange disposal when appliances reach their end-of-life.
But beyond obvious benefits like energy cost savings, how sustainable is the cloud? Are there other ways to leverage a cloud migration for environmental benefit, and if so, how do we measure the sustainable impact and contribution to ESG goals?
Why is the cloud more sustainable?
Trading your on-premises infrastructure for the cloud means you treat information technology as a service. The business benefits are well-known: less overhead, increased scalability, and the option to turn capital spend into operational spend. It's also much better for the environment, as your IT infrastructure is using less power and contributing less embodied carbon.
Cloud data centres are also more efficient than their smaller, on-premises cousins. They operate at hyperscale and use techniques like dynamic provisioning to ensure customers consume exactly as much computing and storage capacity as they need at any given time — but not more.
A modern cloud data centre is also designed to reduce power consumption and generate less heat, which in turn requires less cooling. The major public cloud providers have also been leaders in moving to renewables, so most of their data centres are powered by green sources like wind, hydro, and solar.
All these benefits can contribute directly to core ESG commitments like achieving sustainable operations and moving to 100% renewable energy.
But maximising the sustainable benefits of your cloud migration takes some planning. Here are our top tips for making your cloud investments fully sustainable.
Making your cloud migration green
1 - Consider moving to a public cloud
- The primary public cloud providers — Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services, and Google Cloud Platform — have built carbon neutral infrastructure and delivery models. Depending on the services used, their data centres can be 50-70 per cent more energy efficient than traditional on–premises data centres.
2 - Use cloud-native applications
- Compared to traditional enterprise applications, cloud-native apps are containerized, which means they only use the minimum information required to execute a given operation. That means they require significantly fewer computing resources and as such, draw less electricity in order to run. You can find out more about how to reduce the software emissions your business is responsible for, at the Green Software Foundation.
3 - Only use the cloud resources you really need
- Because cloud environments can be activated and configured remotely, they can also be forgotten about or left to lie unused. That leads to invoices for services that aren't being utilised. It’s a good idea to create automated ‘sunset’ rules to delete any non-vital resources lying dormant for extended periods of time. You should also look at metrics like server refresh rates to see where new efficiencies might be found.
4 - Talk to your supplier
- As demand for sustainability grows, cloud service suppliers are getting very good at capturing data around their carbon impact, energy consumption, and so on. Ask about their green reporting capabilities so you can understand how their services are contributing to your ESG objectives.
5 - Recycle your devices
- As you move to the cloud, pay careful attention to the technology you remove. It is critical that the technology sector drives innovation in this space. Mining minerals from e-waste will contribute significantly to creating a meaningful circularity.
Chris Hazell
Sue Daley
Sue Daley
Sue leads techUK's Technology and Innovation work.
This includes work programmes on cloud, data protection, data analytics, AI, digital ethics, Digital Identity and Internet of Things as well as emerging and transformative technologies and innovation policy. She has been recognised as one of the most influential people in UK tech by Computer Weekly's UKtech50 Longlist and in 2021 was inducted into the Computer Weekly Most Influential Women in UK Tech Hall of Fame. A key influencer in driving forward the data agenda in the UK Sue is co-chair of the UK government's National Data Strategy Forum. As well as being recognised in the UK's Big Data 100 and the Global Top 100 Data Visionaries for 2020 Sue has also been shortlisted for the Milton Keynes Women Leaders Awards and was a judge for the Loebner Prize in AI. In addition to being a regular industry speaker on issues including AI ethics, data protection and cyber security, Sue was recently a judge for the UK Tech 50 and is a regular judge of the annual UK Cloud Awards.
Prior to joining techUK in January 2015 Sue was responsible for Symantec's Government Relations in the UK and Ireland. She has spoken at events including the UK-China Internet Forum in Beijing, UN IGF and European RSA on issues ranging from data usage and privacy, cloud computing and online child safety. Before joining Symantec, Sue was senior policy advisor at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). Sue has an BA degree on History and American Studies from Leeds University and a Masters Degree on International Relations and Diplomacy from the University of Birmingham. Sue is a keen sportswoman and in 2016 achieved a lifelong ambition to swim the English Channel.
- Email:
- [email protected]
- Phone:
- 020 7331 2055
- Twitter:
- @ChannelSwimSue,@ChannelSwimSue
Laura Foster
Laura Foster
Laura is techUK’s Head of Programme for Technology and Innovation.
She supports the application and expansion of emerging technologies, including Quantum Computing, High-Performance Computing, AR/VR/XR and Edge technologies, across the UK. As part of this, she works alongside techUK members and UK Government to champion long-term and sustainable innovation policy that will ensure the UK is a pioneer in science and technology
Before joining techUK, Laura worked internationally as a conference researcher and producer covering enterprise adoption of emerging technologies. This included being part of the strategic team at London Tech Week.
Laura has a degree in History (BA Hons) from Durham University, focussing on regional social history. Outside of work she loves reading, travelling and supporting rugby team St. Helens, where she is from.
- Email:
- [email protected]
- LinkedIn:
- www.linkedin.com/in/lauraalicefoster
techUK – Committed to Climate Action
By 2030, digital technology can cut global emissions by 15%. Cloud computing, 5G, AI and IoT have the potential to support dramatic reductions in carbon emissions in sectors such as transport, agriculture, and manufacturing. techUK is working to foster the right policy framework and leadership so we can all play our part. For more information on how techUK can support you, please visit our Climate Action Hub and click ‘contact us’.
Authors
Stephen Kelly
Stephen is responsible for driving NTT UK and Ireland towards its sustainability ambition. The UK&I business has recently achieved an EcoVadis Platinum level medal, placing it in the top 1% of companies rated in the industry sector for their sustainability achievements.
