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- Graeme Gordon
The way we work can have a huge impact on the environment. Graeme Gordon outlines one change to your business that could make a difference.
For companies looking to hit their environmental corporate social responsibility targets, the answer might be as simple as switching IT systems.
Research has shown that by moving data to an off-site cloud platform businesses can save up to 90% on their electricity, and can significantly reduce a company’s carbon footprint.
There are over 8,000 recruitment agencies in the UK. If all of these companies switched their data to off-site cloud servers the energy saving would be the equivalent of 50 gigawatts – enough to service the City of London for years.
Cloud computing allows companies to remove their own servers and store all their data on a shared, but totally secure, server which is accessed through a private network. That means employees can access their data anytime, anywhere and on any type of device. Cloud users save significantly on power, maintenance and office space.
One of Scotland’s leading IT service providers Internet For Business (IFB) has helped numerous businesses hit green targets simply by moving their data to the loud.
I believe that businesses have a responsibility to look after the environment and reduce the impact that their day to day operation has on the planet. Many of our clients have a company vision or a CSR programme that highlights this responsibility and it lays out targets to achieve.
They recognise that their business has both direct and indirect impacts on the environment and are keen to do what they can to reduce these. Changing their IT system is probably the last thing they would think of but by moving to cloud, a business can make significant energy savings.
Doing this can play a huge part in reaching sustainability targets as computer servers will be outsourced off site and all the power requirements will be moved with it to a purpose built, shared platform. Companies with larger servers no longer need to use energy on expensive air conditioning either, as data centres have their own cooling systems – often using outside air to further the environmental benefits.
In addition, many people don’t work set hours Monday to Friday in the office on their desktop PC anymore. People work from home, on trains, out in the field, even on even on boats or offshore installations using a range of laptops, tablets and mobile devices. Cloud computing helps to meet this demand for greater flexibility and by doing so, reduces the need for printed documents. It also gives staff the opportunity to download documents on the go, whereas before they might have downloaded the information to a CD or DVD resulting in more waste.
I often see IT managers installing more server, networking or storage space than they really need just in case there is a rise in demand. This results in unnecessary capacity that just uses up energy. If your business has moved to cloud then your provider will be able to increase capacity if and when it’s needed and can scale back down when normal business resumes.
Businesses need to start being serious about how they can reduce the environmental impact of their operations because the benefits of sustainability are priceless. The best option for your company might be simpler than you think.”
Graeme Gordon is CEO of Internet for Business, a leading Internet Service Provider (ISP) that provides ICT infrastructure for businesses across the UK.
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