With rising energy prices, public sector organisations can and should greatly benefit from cloud computing. In this article, we look at how much money the environmentally friendly cloud could save councils and similar. It's not simply good sense to make the switch to the green cloud, it's a moral and ecological necessity.
Pressure from stakeholders and the Department of Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy has intensified for public sector organisations to migrate their operations to the cloud.
And with good reason: a joint Microsoft-WSP study found that cloud computing may reduce energy consumption by 93% and carbon dioxide emissions by 98% compared to traditional on-premises IT infrastructure.
Goals for saving energy
The green IT revolution has arrived with improved resource management, optimised data storage, and the ability to match workloads with the availability of renewable energy. It's time for government agencies to equip themselves with real tools for cutting energy consumption drastically.
Where does the “green” cloud come from?
When deploying digital devices and systems, a green cloud is a cloud computing strategy that prioritises minimising energy use and other negative impacts. When compared to on-premises IT infrastructure, cloud services are intrinsically more eco-friendly. Furthermore, public cloud data centres are able to aggregate the energy demand of different organisations, allowing for more effective management of resources while consuming less energy overall.
Although government agencies may be cautious of the disruption cloud migrations may cause, the entire process can be finished in a couple of days. And while results will vary from company to company, one study estimates that cloud migrations can cut energy use by 65% and carbon emissions by 84%. As a result, you could expect a 30–40% reduction in OCO.
These numbers are attractive for many public sector organisations coping with public pressure and growing energy expenses. The good news is that you can tap into the potential of green cloud computing; all you need is a dependable cloud service provider.
Less hardware required
So how does cloud computing increase government energy efficiency? With cloud computing, bodies may run their software and apps without investing in expensive server hardware. A cloud hosting service can host and deploy IT infrastructure for businesses instead of them, allowing for increased efficiency and scalability.
As a result, the public sector will use less power and generate much less obsolete IT material, which is a very real and growing threat to the environment.
Compact equipment
High-carbon equipment is required to power servers around the clock, resulting in massive energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. ERP systems and apps can be run more efficiently in the cloud since less physical hardware is needed to manage enormous workloads and store vast amounts of data. As a result of reducing wasteful spending, the government would save money.
Aggregated need
By outsourcing IT management to a cloud hosting provider, the public sector can reduce its carbon footprint by efficiently running several apps on a single server or even safely sharing server space with other businesses. When resources are shared through a network, it's possible to reduce the number of physical servers needed to run ERP software and apps. Many businesses that have made the switch to the cloud have noticed improved performance and lower energy use as a result of centralising their computing resources.
Use the available resources effectively
The adaptability of cloud computing is a crucial aspect to consider. Because of this, service providers can dynamically increase or decrease available resources in response to changes in demand, thereby satisfying customers' needs while keeping energy usage to a minimum. Since organisations only have to pay for the resources they really use, this is still another way to save money and reduce emissions. By adjusting workloads in response to the availability of renewable energy sources, cloud service providers can help public agencies use less fossil fuel.
Improved service offering
Not all cloud services are created equal. Although the sheer size of cloud data centres allows them to run more efficiently, not all of them will adhere to sustainability best practices. The total carbon footprint of your provider is affected by a number of things, including as the data centres' cooling system and how they handle electronic trash.
Indirect results
There are many ways in which moving to the cloud can improve the long-term viability of a business. First and foremost, it facilitates the trend for hybrid and remote working, decreasing the pollutants created and the energy necessary for people to go to and from work. It can also help businesses reduce their paper usage by allowing them to take advantage of virtual productivity tools. Migration to the cloud should be the first step for any government agency aiming to reduce its carbon footprint.
Cloud computing for local government
With rising energy prices and pressure on the public sector to meet sustainability goals, now is the perfect time to make the transition to the cloud.
Code Enigma offers cloud hosting, managed services, and expert support to public sector Drupal sites. We feel the public sector should never settle for less than the benefits of simplified, optimised, energy-efficient IT infrastructure.