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Microsoft And Sustainability: The Cloud Is Always Greener

Blogs and insights Microsoft updates

As the battle against the climate crisis is intensifying, sustainability is no longer a choice but a necessity. If the world doesn’t act now, it will be too late. Technological advances rooted in the cloud are at the heart of a greener future. Artificial intelligence (AI), big data, and rooted analytics unlock the capability and potential to make a positive impact on a global scale. From conserving the earth’s fresh water to optimising energy usage across systems and buildings, these critical improvements will help reduce carbon emissions and stabilise our climate. 

Microsoft’s sustainability commitment  

Microsoft has committed to a more sustainable future with its target to become carbon negative, water positive and zero waste by 2030. Microsoft has been carbon neutral since 2012, however it aims to be completely net-zero within the decade. This means that by 2030, Microsoft will remove at least as much carbon from the atmosphere as it emits. This is by far one of the biggest environmental Microsoft Cloud benefits. Furthermore, by 2050 Microsoft will remove all the carbon dioxide it has emitted since it was founded in 1975.  

Remote working. Operating from the cloud saves energy and reduces carbon emissions.

The carbon benefits of using Microsoft cloud  

Operating from the cloud helps to save energy and reduce carbon emissions. Microsoft Azure is a major cloud services provider with one of the most efficient data centres in the world. Recent Microsoft research concluded that cloud computing is up to 93% more energy efficient. Additionally, it can generate up to 98% less carbon emissions than traditional enterprise datacentres. 

Traditional data centres are costly, high maintenance and energy intense. A study by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory suggested that migrating business programs such as CRM, email and more (on a national scale) to the cloud can save enough electricity each year to power Los Angeles for a whole year. 

  • Businesses utilising the cloud can reduce carbon emissions by 88%.  
  • The cloud enables remote working and virtual meetings which reduces commuting/travel emissions. 
  • Organisations use 77% fewer servers and 84% less power when operating from the cloud in comparison to traditional on premises data centres. 
  • Cloud data centres use less wattage to deliver back-up power and cooling, and are built to achieve optimal utilisation and efficient energy use. 
  • If business applications are moved to the cloud, it has the potential to reduce the total energy consumption of these applications by 87%.  
  • Data centres that optimise cloud servers have substantially less e-waste than traditional data centres and servers, as they don’t need as much equipment to monitor the systems. 

The business benefits of cloud migration 

Moving to the cloud means going green in more ways than one, with cost savings, increased productivity, flexibility and significantly reducing carbon emissions. These are just a few statistic-based Microsoft Cloud benefits that could positively impact your business. 

  • According to research 65% of survey respondents said that they were more likely to work for a company with strong environmental policies.  
  • Access from anywhere – 9 out of 10 businesses have begun the move to hybrid work and 94% of organisations are using the cloud to achieve a successful transition.  
  • Data is safe – Azure is built on a foundation of first-class security and multi-layered protection provided by Microsoft’s cybersecurity experts.  

A business’s sustainability strategy should be aligned with its IT strategy, especially as the working world becomes increasingly reliant on technology to operate. It is important to consider how technology can be optimised to reduce a company’s carbon footprint, protect the environment, and contribute to its corporate social responsibility (CSR). 

Reduce your carbon footprint by migrating to the cloud  

Whether you want to migrate your entire infrastructure to the cloud or are after a bespoke hybrid cloud environment – we will deliver a solution that aligns to your business strategy. 848 is a cloud-first company with over a decade of experience in delivering cloud and hybrid cloud solutions. Our dedicated team is here to deliver seamless cloud migrations and IT solutions to support you on your journey to the cloud.