Cloud computing offers businesses more than just a safe and efficient way of storing data centrally.

It also provides environmental advantages in a time when climate change and global warming have become intertwined and urgent issues.

The cloud is considered more sustainable than traditional IT approaches. According to TechUK’s Cloud 2020 & Beyond report, cloud services provide businesses with a quick win in cutting down emissions, while new research shows that cloud data centres have enabled computing output to increase while energy consumption remains low.

Faster, more efficient hardware

The other major green benefit of cloud computing is that it allows for faster, more efficient hardware. In many cases, the efficiency of cloud-based data centers can be as much as 90 percent compared to running an on-premise server farm. This means that you'll need less energy to power your applications and services than if they were located in your own data center.

Leaps forward in energy efficiency

Cloud computing has made big leaps forward in energy efficiency. This is largely due to the fact that it’s more efficient than on-premise computing, but also because of new technologies that are only available in the cloud.

First, cloud providers have been able to reduce their power consumption per server significantly. Partly this is due to technological advances like air conditioning and other infrastructure improvements; partly it’s because they can buy large quantities of hardware at once instead of keeping a steady stock of servers on hand (which would use far more energy). Second, cloud providers are able to utilize idle capacity more effectively than on-premise datacenters do—they don't need to maintain as many machines at full capacity all day long just in case someone needs them later in the day or week or year. Third, cloud systems have become increasingly efficient over time through innovations like virtualization and software-defined networking (SDN), which allow for greater automation and optimization across entire data centers rather than just individual servers or clusters within them.

Data centres located in the best places

Many of the big cloud providers have realized that data centres located in the best places can be more efficient and sustainable than those located in more remote areas. For example, Microsoft has data centres located near to their users in many countries. It's also building two new data centres in Iowa, which will be powered by wind turbines. Amazon has built a huge data centre near Dublin Airport in Ireland, which means they don't have to use as much energy transporting electricity from the national grid because it's so close by.

Virtualisation can reduce power needs

Virtualisation can also help reduce your power requirements. A study by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has shown that virtualising servers can reduce the number of physical servers required by up to 40% while maintaining the same level of service, significantly reducing energy consumption.

Virtualisation allows you to use fewer servers and still get good utilisation out of them. If a server is under-utilised or idle for long periods, then it makes no sense having it on at all! You're wasting money and resources on running something that isn't actually doing anything useful for you. With virtualised environments, this problem goes away as resources are shared across multiple servers, so if one is not being used then another can make use of it instead - saving energy and space in the process. Similarly, if one area gets particularly hot then this can be addressed with improved cooling systems - again saving money and improving efficiency across various departments within an organisation's infrastructure management plan (IMP).

Refrigeration is a thing of the past

Cloud computing is more environmentally friendly because it requires less hardware. In the past, companies had to maintain their own servers and data centers to store information. Now, cloud providers do all of that work for them—this means that a company can use fewer resources to access its data.

As a result of this efficiency, cloud computing uses less power than traditional server farms. The same amount of equipment can be used in a smaller space since there are no cooling requirements due to heat buildup from hardware and software systems running at full capacity all day long (or night).

Additionally, since there are no bulky cooling units needed in order to keep the servers cool while they're in operation 24/7/365 (or whatever), this frees up space for other needs like office space or living areas!

Cloud computing reduces hardware needs

Another way cloud computing helps reduce power needs is through virtualization. With virtualization, a single server can handle multiple workloads, meaning fewer servers are needed overall. Virtualization also reduces energy consumption by allowing more efficient use of hardware resources. For example, if you have 10 identical servers running the same software application and each one is only operating at 10% capacity then you could get away with using just one of those servers instead of all ten—which means that 90% of your hardware would be sitting idle most of the time!

However, since cloud providers are able to accommodate a much greater number of customers than traditional data centres they're able to achieve economies-of-scale that allow them to invest in higher quality equipment with better power efficiency ratings than smaller companies might be able to afford on their own—so not only does cloud computing save your business money over time but it also reduces your carbon footprint!

By shifting to cloud computing you can actually consume less energy.

With cloud computing you can reduce the amount of energy consumed by your business. That's because cloud computing is more efficient than traditional computing and offers a number of benefits that reduce power needs, cooling needs and data centre needs. Here are some key ways that cloud computing is greener:

• Cloud servers consume less power than servers running in-house because they require fewer resources to operate efficiently. This means that your IT team doesn't need to invest in hardware or hire additional staff to manage everything from maintenance to cooling systems (another source of high energy consumption). Instead, you'll only need a small amount of space for the servers themselves—which typically run on low-cost electricity—and access to an internet connection.
• Because there's no need for expensive server farms or large cooling systems at each location where your company operates, moving operations into the cloud could help cut down on emissions associated with transporting equipment around town between different sites while also reducing construction costs associated with building out new facilities at each site where employees work together remotely rather than sharing office space under one roof (again saving money).

Conclusion

Of course, the important thing is to make sure that you are using certified green servers. This ensures that your cloud service provider is doing everything they can to reduce their own carbon footprint and be as environmentally friendly as possible.

Azure, as a part of Microsoft, has been 100 percent carbon neutral since 2012. This means it is removing as much carbon each year as it emits, either by carbon removal (carbon offsetting) or reducing carbon emissions.