Benefits of the Cloud: Energy Efficient

This year for Earth Day, consider how you can incorporate more eco-friendly practices into your business. One way to do this is through energy-efficient business management software or hosting your data in the cloud.

Cloud-hosted data storage instead of traditional data servers is a great way to reduce energy costs. Here's how your switch to the cloud will positively affect the environment.

Fewer Servers, Fewer Emissions

Traditional data hosting isn't just less secure and less scalable than cloud-based data hosting — it's also less environmentally friendly. The energy required to power on-premises servers can be incredibly energy inefficient, especially if you have quite a few servers. Amazon found that their customers who use their cloud storage reduce their carbon footprint by 88% instead of hosting their own data.

Finding out how the cloud-based servers you use to harness their energy can further reduce your carbon footprint. Many cloud-based platforms have committed to their cloud services going carbon neutral. For example, Google's cloud services should be completely carbon-free by 2030.

Better Infrastructure & Utilization Rates 

Cloud companies typically have a more robust and thought-out infrastructure than traditional hosting. Cloud-hosted companies are usually located closer to their power sources, so electrical energy doesn't have to be transmitted over long distances. For traditional hosting, you generally don't have that luxury because the server is located wherever your office is.

The data centers of cloud-hosting companies are built to be energy efficient by providing optimal utilization and temperature. They also have a better hardware setup that allows them to use less wattage when providing backup power or cooling for the data center.

For traditional hosting, servers have more idle time when people aren't working, which leads to poor efficiency and negatively impacts the environment. Cloud-hosting companies have a higher utilization rate since they house so many different companies’ data that they are 2 to 4 times more efficient than traditional servers.

Updated Equipment & Reduced Electricity Use 

Cloud-hosting companies replace their servers much more often than traditional hosting due to overall usage. Cloud companies are upgrading to the latest and greatest technology by replacing servers regularly. The newest technology typically means a more energy-efficient server than the one that is being replaced.

Companies with traditional hosting that store servers at their office do not upgrade their servers as often because it is time-consuming and expensive. This leads to older models of servers that are much less energy efficient than the ones cloud-hosting companies are using.

Traditional servers require a ton of power, cooling, and electricity to function. If companies start to migrate their business management software, email, CRMs, and additional software programs over to the cloud, it could help lower the total energy consumption by a significant percentage.

The Cloud Reduces Resource Usage 

The fax machine isn't the only relic of the past; now, you can chuck the printer and copy machine out with it. Energy-efficient business management software makes it possible to share, edit and sign documents all from the comfort of your computer screen.

Your accountants can maintain balance sheets from the cloud, and your dispatchers, technicians, and other employees can work simultaneously on cloud-based documents. No need to print off copies and track down the individuals you need to read them or sign off on them. Cloud storage saves time, headaches, and printing!

Business management software that has digital forms and records saved in the cloud really cut down on paper usage. Technicians no longer need to bring a printout and physical piece of paper with the customer record to the job site. Instead, all customer information is stored in the cloud and can be accessed from their mobile apps.

The cloud also allows forms to be stored digitally, eliminating the need for paper forms, and guaranteeing the forms are accessible quickly to the back office. With paper forms, you are not only using resources but run the risk of losing the form or spilling something on it before you can get it to the back office.

Documents stored on the cloud can also be viewed by anyone you give access to. Information you used to send clients by mail can now be sent electronically for customers to review and/or sign — saving you money on packing and shipping costs and being environmentally conscious all at the same time.

A Win-Win for Everyone 

If you still aren't sure about making the move from traditional hosting to cloud hosting, consider the bigger picture. Using cloud hosting is a win-win for everyone— your business, your customers, and the environment. Read more about how cloud-hosted data increases uptime, scalability, security, performance, and more in our "Benefits of the Cloud" blog series.

If you have any questions about how Successware® interacts with the cloud and our energy-efficient business management software, give us a call at 888-272-8009 or request a demo! We would be happy to discuss the benefits of migrating your business to cloud-hosted services with you.

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