When you think of cloud computing, you believe that there is no way possible that it could affect the environment. Cloud computing is very beneficial to the ground, but not all of the benefits are known to the end-user. There are quite a few ways that the cloud provides a much greener way of working, and here are some of those ways.

Energy Efficiency

The best advantage of the cloud is the efficiency it provides to everyone. When running an in-house data center, you are required to have several servers running and backup systems running 24 hours a day, along with having to pay staff to manage the technology. With these requirements, you have to look at utilization versus the cost, and most businesses are only using 15 percent of the server space. By moving to the cloud, you are saving your company money while helping the environment as you are not putting as big of a footprint as you are not using as much energy.

Paper Reduction

The number of paper businesses goes through is staggering, whereas some go through 10,000 sheets of paper a year. Using cloud computing, you can store all your data in the cloud, and documents that you usually would print out can now be stored in the cloud with easy access through all devices, and can quickly be taken on the go without having to print out documents. Reducing paper usage also helps to take the toll off the environment as there is not much energy used.

Remote Workspace

Being able to work remotely has so many advantages for everyone, especially the environment. When you can work remotely, you do not have to commute to the office. This also reduces the amount of energy the office is having to use as there is not as much of a need to cool or heat a workspace. Another considerable advantage is video conferencing, which reduces the need to fly internationally for clients located outside the US.

Cloud Efficiency

The current cloud hosts have seen how the massive data centers have affected the amount of energy used and have proposed plans to help with the issues. Google has started to power its data centers with 35% of renewable sources. Amazon uses 50% of renewable services, and Microsoft has reduced water usage at its data center by designing an air-cooling system.

Cloud computing can both help and harm the environment. With steps in the right direction, cloud computing can improve the environment by reducing the amount of energy consumed.